Super Bowl LV

Chiefs (16-2) at Bucs (14-5)

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m.

TV: CBS (WTSP-TV Channel 10, locally).

Streaming: Fans may stream the broadcast from Buccaneers.com or on a mobile device using one of the following: Buccaneers official app, or Yahoo! Sports app. Geographic restrictions apply.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region; 97.9 FM ESPN Radio in Tallahassee (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 83 (Bucs broadcast) or SiriusXM NFL Radio Channel 88 (Westwood One national feed).

Weather: It appears that the football gods have given the area a break. Rain will be past us by kickoff. At 6 p.m., per AccuWeather.com, there is a 13 percent chance of rain. That drops to zero chance in the first quarter and through the rest of the game. Temperature is expected to be 67 at kickoff and drop to 59 by game’s end.

Odds: Per BetMGM, as of midnight last night, Chiefs -3; 56-under.

Zebras: The game will be officiated by Carl Cheffers’ crew, which means TV viewers across the globe will likely be treated to dudes in striped coats tossing pieces of yellow fabric around the field. Cheffers and his crew is one of the flag-happiest in the NFL, calling the NFL’s second-most penalties (226).  In particular, Cheffers’ staff calls a tight game when it comes to holding (third-highest) and pass interference (third-highest). This is not good news for Bucs corner Carlton Davis, who at times plays a handsy game.

Outlook:  By now you probably read and heard so much game analysis that you are ready to puke. So Joe will be very short. This is not the same Bucs team that got alley-stomped in the first quarter by the Chiefs back in November. The Bucs didn’t have Vita Vea. They didn’t have Jamel Dean. Joe believes if the Bucs can hold Kansas City to under 30, the Bucs have a fantastic shot. If Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul have a combined four sacks, then the Bucs should be doing well. If Playoff Lenny has 100 yards, Joe will guess the Bucs will win. If the Bucs have to rely on special teams (field goals, punts) they will be in trouble.

Trinkets: … Chiefs QB Pat Mahomes has 2,054 pass yards (293.4 per game) and 21 touchdowns (17 passing, 4 rush) against 2 interceptions in 7 career postseason starts. Became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP last year. Passed for a season-high 462 yards and had 3 touchdowns vs. 0 interceptions in Week 12 meeting. Ranked second in NFL with 4,740 pass yards, and ranked fourth with 38 touchdown passes in 2020, becoming the third player in NFL history with 4,000+ pass yards in 3 of first 4 seasons. … RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for a touchdown in his postseason debut in the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. Ranked fourth among rookies with 1,100 scrimmage yards and 803 rush yards in 2020. … RB Darrel Williams led the Chiefs with 52 rushing yards and had a rushing touchdown in the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. … RB Le’Veon Bell has 521 scrimmage yards (104.2 per game) and 4 touchdowns (3 rush, 1 receiving) in 5 career postseason games. … WR Cheetah Hill had 9 catches for 172 yards in AFC Championship game against Buffalo. Aims to become the third player in NFL history with 100+ receiving yards in 4 straight postseason games. Had 105 receiving yards in Super Bowl LIV last year. Set career-highs in catches (13) and receiving yards (269) and tied career-high in receiving touchdowns (3) in Week 12 meeting. Ranked second among receivers with a career-high 17 touchdowns (15 receiving, 2 rushing) in 2020. … TE Travis Kelce had 13 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns in AFC Championship against Buffalo. He also had his fifth-career postseason game with 100+ receiving yards, most by any tight end in NFL history. Kelce aims for his fourth in a row in the postseason with a touchdown catch. Aims for his seventh in a row with a receiving touchdown, including the postseason. Kelce is ranked second in the NFL with 1,416 receiving yards in 2020, the most-ever by a tight end in a single season. He had 82 receiving yards in Week 12 meeting against the Bucs. … S Tyrann Mathieu led the Chiefs with a career-high 6 interceptions in 2020. He had an interception in Week 12 meeting at Tampa. … Rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed looks for his third in a row in the postseason with a sack. He is tied for the lead among rookies with 3 interceptions in 2020. … DT Chris Jones led the Chiefs with 7.5 sacks in 2020. He had 3 passes defended in Super Bowl LIV. … DE Frank Clark led the Chiefs with 2 sacks in the AFC Championship against Buffalo. Looks for his seventh in a row in the postseason with tackle for loss. He has a sack in 6 of his past 7 postseason games. … Bucs QB Tom Brady is the postseason all-time leader in starts (44), completions (1,085), passing yards (12,248), and passing touchdowns (80). Is the Super Bowl all-time leader in titles (6), passing yards (2,838) and passing touchdowns (18). Ranked tied for second in passing touchdowns (franchise-record 40) and third in passing yards (4,633) in 2020 and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history with 2+ seasons (2) of 40+ touchdown passes. Passed for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in Week 12 meeting with the Chiefs. … RB Leonard Fournette has 599 scrimmage yards (99.8 per game) and 7 touchdowns (6 rushing, 1 receiving) in 6 career playoff games. Can join Hall of Famer Terrell Davis (1997) and Larry Fitzgerald (2008) as the only players with a touchdown in 4 straight playoff games in a single postseason. … RB Ronald Jones set career-highs in scrimmage yards (1,143), rushing yards (978), and rushing touchdowns (7) in 2020. … WR Mike Evans aims for his third in a row in the postseason with a touchdown catch. He had 2 receiving touchdowns in Week 12 meeting against Kansas City. Ranked fourth in NFL in receiving touchdowns (13) this season. Became the first player in NFL history with 1,000+ receiving yards in each of his first 7 seasons. … WR Chris Godwin had 5 catches for 110 yards in NFC Championship against Green Bay. Had 8 receptions for 97 yards in Week 12 loss to Kansas City. … TE Rob Gronkowski is the all-time postseason leader among tight ends in catches (83), receiving yards (1,206), and receiving touchdowns (12). He has 3 receiving touchdowns in 4 career Super Bowls. … LB Lavonte David has 24 forced fumbles since 2012, fourth-most in the NFL. … LB Devin White had a franchise single-game playoff-record 15 tackles in NFC Championship against Green Bay. Became the first player since 2000 with 140+ tackles (140) and 9+ sacks (9). … LB Jason Pierre-Paul had 2 sacks in NFC Championship against Green Bay. Has 7 tackles for loss and 6 passes defensed in 7 career postseason games. Had a sack in Week 12 meeting. … LB Shaq Barrett had 3 sacks in the NFC Championship and joined Hall of Famer Warren Sapp (January 1998) as the only Bucs defender with 3 sacks in a single postseason game since 1982. Shaq had a sack in Week 12 meeting with Kansas City. … CB Sean Murphy-Bunting became the fourth player with an interception in each of his first 3 career postseason games in the Super Bowl era, joining Hall of Famers Aeneas Williams and Ed Reed as well as Jason Sehorn.

The Last Word: The last team to repeat as Super Bowl champs was the 2004 Belicheats. They had a quarterback named “Tom Brady.” You may have heard of him.