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Brady hoping for ring #7 while Mahomes ready to begin his own dynasty
By: Collin Frazier
@Collin_53
With the sports world being shaken by COVID-19, many were wondering how normal of a sports season 2020-2021 would be. Fortunately, the NFL was able to have both a complete season and postseason, culminating in Super Bowl LV. This year, the 14-2 Kansas City Chiefs, led by rising star Patrick Mahomes, hope to defend their title against the 11-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by legendary quarterback, and recent addition to the team, Tom Brady. With everything that occurred this year, some sports fans may feel the big game this year will be much different than before. One such fan is UF student Ryan Lacey.
“I think that this will be one of the strangest Super Bowls we have ever seen,” said Lacey. “This is because there will only be a certain amount of fans that can be present at the game due to the current pandemic. I don’t think it will affect the players much as they have been playing with little to no fans all season.”
Of course, some sports fanatics do not care about the big game simply because their team is not involved in it, such as Philadelphia Eagles fan and UF Student Elysia Detweiler.
“Normally I’m excited for it [The Super Bowl], for this year I’m not super excited because I’m not really invested in either of the teams,” said Detweiler.
With both teams being led by all-star quarterbacks, do not be surprised to see the longball making the decision-making plays throughout the game. Lacey is hoping that Mahomes’ young arm can defend their Super Bowl title.
“I would like to see the Kansas City Chiefs win on Sunday, but to do so they need to stop the offensive veteran that is Tom Brady,” Lacey commented. “Patrick Mahomes is young, but he possesses the skills and tools necessary to win.”
And the tools necessary to win, Mahomes certainly has. Lacey provides some of the players he expects Mahomes to target.
“Tyreek Hill is one of the best receivers in the league and his speed is almost unrivaled,” Lacey explained. “Along with Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins, Mahomes has a lot of reliable options for his offense. Not to mention, the running game of the QB himself.”
However, the same can be said for the Buccaneers. Not only have they acquired the legendary QB Tom Brady in the offseason, but they also have WR Mike Evans, former New England Patriot TE Rob Gronkowski, WR Chris Godwin, and WR Antonio Brown.
Even if your favorite team is not in the game, one thing all fans get behind is the commercials that are either premiering or are exclusive to the Super Bowl. Lacey is hoping for an improvement in commercial quality.
“Of course I am looking forward to the commercials,” Lacey proclaimed. “Everyone loves to see them. I just hope they are going to be better than they have been in the last few years.”
However, some feel that the commercials will not be as relevant to the game this year. Detweiler explains why.
“I get the feeling that the commercials aren’t going to be as big of a component this year because the bigger companies are reallocating those funds [for the commercials].”
Some companies, including Budweiser, Coke, and Pepsi, icons of Super Bowl commercials, have decided not to present commercials for Super Bowl LV, instead sending the funds for the commercial to COVID-19 relief.
The Super Bowl will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be available to watch on cable TV on CBS Sports and EPSN, according to NFL.com. The game will also be streamed live through the NFL and CBS Sports app and in Spanish on Streaming En Vivo.
