Super Bowl picks and predictions

The Bleeding Green Nation writers picks are in for Super Bowl LV!

The Kansas City Chiefs are clearly favored in this matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’re 3-point favorites against the spread and six out of nine BGN writers are taking Andy Reid’s team to win. But not everyone is ready to count out Touchdown Tom Brady.

Last year’s picks champion, John Stolnis, is tied with the BGN Community heading into this season’s final game. Will one side remain victorious or will there be a tie?

Feel free to post your own predictions or discuss the writer predictions in the comments. You can also vote for who you think will win by using the poll beneath the table.

BRANDON LEE GOWTON

Heading into the playoffs, I didn’t want to see the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl again. Felt like a boring outcome to me. But now that they’re here and facing the Bucs, I absolutely want KC to win. I want Tom Brady to lose so I’ll be able to say that no quarterback has lost more Super Bowls than he has. And with that in mind, I’m taking the Bucs to win to 1) put the whammy on them or 2) take the consolation prize of correctly predicting the game if they pull off the upset. Emotional hedge. Call it cowardice if you must but it’s a win-win for me. Buccaneers 38, Chiefs 35.

ALEXIS CHASSEN

My heart says Chiefs, but my head says Buccaneers. Regardless, I’m going with a back-to-back Super Bowl win for Big Red. Both teams have all the offensive fire power they need to make a run on Sunday, but ultimately, I think the Chiefs have the swagger to beat Tom Brady and crush the QB’s dream of winning the Lombardi Trophy with a team that’s not the Patriots. The Chiefs offensive line could prove to be a problem, but Patrick Mahomes has no problem escaping a collapsing pocket and making plays on the run, which will ultimately make the OL issue a moot point. There are so many storylines surrounding this game, but barring any kind of COVID surprise, I’m betting on the young dynasty continuing their dominance. Kansas City: 28, Tampa Bay: 19.

JOHN STOLNIS

TAMPA BAY:

Quick, name the last time there was a repeat Super Bowl champion. The answer: The Tom Brady-led New England Patriots when they beat YOUR Philadelphia Eagles after the 2004 season in Super Bowl 39. It’s been 16 years since a team has won back-to-back Super Bowls and, sure, the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs are favored to pull it off. And why not? Andy Reid’s squad has made it look pretty easy here in the playoffs, and their dismantling of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game two weeks ago was surprisingly easy. They are the favorites, and it’s clear why.

HOWEVER, Tom Brady’s Bucs are playing as well as anyone in the NFL right now and they have the GOAT under center. He looks just as good as he ever has, and not only does Bruce Arians have Tampa’s offense humming, the performance of Todd Bowles’ defense against the Packers in the NFC Championship Game was eye-opening. I didn’t see them being able to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense, but they did a very good job against Rodgers. There’s no reason to think they can’t do the same to the NFL’s other Nationwide sales pitchman, Mahomes.

In the end, I think Brady finds a way to win his 7th Super Bowl title, one that would stick a knife deep into the back of his former coach, Bill Belichick, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’m rooting for Big Red to pull off the repeat, but in the end, it has begun to feel like it’s Tom’s and the Bucs’ year.

Bucs 31, Chiefs 27.

MATT HARKENREADER

Somehow, we all not only have to sit through Tom Brady’s TENTH Super Bowl appearance, but he gets to play it in his home stadium. There are many out there who, at this point, may be unwilling to bet against Brady since he has taken a wild card team to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Packers did it back in 2010. And, well, because he’s Tom Brady. I am not one of those people. I’m sure a lot of talk will be made about Tampa Bay’s crushing pass rush against Mahomes and the Chiefs’ high-powered offense - but where have we heard this before? Oh, that’s right, last year’s Super Bowl, when the ferocious 49ers defense held the Chiefs in check for three and a half quarters before eventually yielding and giving up 3 touchdowns in 9 minutes. Tom Brady is certainly going to try and stave off a comeback better than Jimmy Garoppolo did, but really I don’t see the Chiefs losing this game unless they beat themselves. And they rarely, if ever, beat themselves. Kansas City 29, Tampa Bay 23.

TYLER JACKSON

While betting against Tom Brady in these spots is usually futile, the truth is there’s almost no way to stop the Chiefs offense. They have too many weapons and have achieved an old goal of Al Davis’ - taking what they want from the defense. The last time these two teams played, in Tampa, the Chiefs ran the Bucs off the field before a couple possessions in the red zone failed to yield touchdowns, allowing Tampa back in the game. I expect that to be different. This also doesn’t begin to account for a Kansas City defense that’s played extremely well throughout the postseason. Tampa Bay’s best shot is to get to Mahomes early behind his patchwork offensive line early and speed up his process. Todd Bowles likes to blitz and may be able to do so, but do you really want to leave those weapons in one-on-one situations? Expect Big Red to enter the conversation of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport in the coming days as Kansas City rolls to its second straight Super Bowl win.

SHAMUS CLANCY

I’m going with Big Red and Kansas City here. Andy Reid fulfills his Super Bowl fate that he never reached in Philly, capturing his second-straight championship with the most talented player I’ve ever seen at quarterback. It’s a shame that Andy Reid realized that having good wide receivers and skill players makes a huge difference for offenses about 15 years too late. Also... how can you ever pick Tom Brady in conscience?

BEN NATAN

I have to go with the Chiefs. Andy and Mahomes have the offense cooking in a way that feels unstoppable. Though the Bucs have a very good defense and the talent to keep up on offense, you always have to pick the better quarterback. Here, that’s Patrick Mahomes.

BENJAMIN SOLAK

You won’t catch me picking against the Chiefs. I suppose that means I’m picking against Tom Brady, which is equally nuts, but I simply don’t see a current NFL team with the firepower to hang with Kansas City. The Chiefs defense is playing well under Spagnuolo now that Juan Thornhill is healthy, and I think Spags is the best Brady beater with two weeks of prep. Quick pressure equals hot routes, which are often jump balls in the Tampa offense, because they don’t have a pass-catching back to rely on. While concerns with the Chiefs’ offensive line are warranted, I’m confident they can scheme up enough silly plays to create explosives without forcing Mahomes to hold onto the football for too long. Give me Kansas City, 38-27.

LEE SIFFORD

Gotta go with Tampa Bay on this one. The man knows how to win Super Bowls better than anyone in the history of the game. The Chiefs have a fierce offense capable of keeping any team honest so I expect a close game, but I ultimately think Tom gets it, after capitalizing off of a cold Kansas City start, just as the Bills tried to do. I’m rooting for ya Big Red, but you’ve got one hell of a final hurdle. TB 27 KC 24.

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