The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just concluded what was the greatest playoff run in NFL history.
The fact that Tampa ended up keeping the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay, and Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl MVP, is very surprising given how Tampa looked for parts of the regular season.
The Bucs were 7-5 heading into their bye week, and the team needed to be much better to even make the playoffs.
What Tampa proceeded to do will be talked about for generations to come.
Tampa Bay got red hot and went on an eight-game winning streak that culminated in a 31-9 Super Bowl LV victory.
The Bucs final three playoff games were the greatest gauntlet of quarterbacks faced in NFL playoff history. In the Divisional Round, Tampa went up against the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers awaited Tampa in the NFC Championship Game, and a matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes was the final test for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Tampa Bay defense made Brees look miserable in the Divisional Round. His performance was so bad, it basically forced Brees into retirement. Brees threw three interceptions and had a quarterback rating in the 30’s.
Rodgers, who ended up being named the 2020 NFL MVP, threw a late interception in the first half that led to a Buccaneers touchdown going into halftime and folded like a cheap tent down the stretch of the NFC Championship Game when his team needed him most.
Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense saved their best performance yet for the Super Bowl though.
Mahomes played what may be the worst game he ever plays in his NFL career. Mahomes was sacked three times, but more importantly, had pressure on him all game long. Ultimately, Mahomes threw two interceptions and finished with a quarterback rating of 52. Mahomes, and the Chiefs offense, had no answer for the ferocious Tampa Bay defense.
Brees, Mahomes and Rodgers will go down in history as three of the top 10 quarterbacks to ever take a snap in the National Football League.
Another thing that will go down in history is the path the 2020-2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled in order to ultimately become Super Bowl champions.
Comments