The Masters 2021 Preview
Dustin Johnson has to be considered the golfer to beat coming into this year’s Masters. The winner of the one and only November Masters is on a different level than everyone else coming into the second week of April. He won last year’s tournament by five shots after taking a four-shot lead into Sunday, and he is currently the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. Johnson will make it difficult for hopefuls like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy who are looking to win their first green jacket. Event Details Event: 2021 Masters Tournament Category: PGA Tour Date: April 8 -11, 2021 Location: Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Georgia Almost as good as the sandwiches! #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/TQY6AjSKSD — Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) April 1, 2021 Past Winners 2020: Dustin Johnson -20 2019: Tiger Woods -13 2018: Patrick Reed -15 2017: Sergio Garcia -9 2016: Danny Willett -5 The absence of Tiger Woods from this year’s event will be noticeable. Woods is a five-time champion and the winner of the last April Masters. He had hoped to run down Jack Nicklaus, but that’s looking like a dismal prospect following his car crash a few months ago. We saw Johnson set a course record at Augusta National last November. He shot two 65s on his way to posting a 268, easily beating out Cameron Smith and Im Sung-Jae. Justin Thomas finished in fourth place, but he was a whopping eight shots behind Johnson. The Course There is not a more distinctive course in the United States than Augusta National. While it doesn’t have the natural beauty of Pebble Beach, an iconic hole like TPC Sawgrass, or the difficulty of Winged Foot, it boasts a prestige you won’t find elsewhere in America. Even casual golfers know about Amen Corner, and the fact that every hole is named after a tree or shrub on the course brings a level of continued nostalgia. The azaleas on the 13th hole have become particularly beloved, as Jim Nantz and Verne Lundquist have waxed poetic on them on the broadcast. Top Contenders While Johnson hasn’t finished T25 in his last three events, he has finished runner-up in the last two PGA Tour Championships. Johnson was the FedEx Cup champion last year, and he finished T6 at the US Open in September. Bryson DeChambeau won his first major in September when he was the only golfer in contention to break 70 in the final day of the US Open. DeChambeau was the only golfer to end up under par with a -6 at the notoriously difficult Winged Foot. He has yet to finish in the top 20 at the Masters though. The big hitter has made the cut in each of his four appearances, but he has finished 21st, 38th, 29th, and 34th. Although he has only won five PGA Tour events in his short career, Jon Rahm is one of the top golfers on the circuit. Rahm won the Memorial and the BMW Championship last year, and he has been in contention at most of the top events over the last six months. He finished T7 at the November Masters, T5 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and T9 at the Players Championship. Rory McIlroy needs to win a Masters to complete the career grand slam. He was won the PGA Championship (twice), the US Open, and the British Open, but he has yet to win at Augusta. His best performance was a fourth-place finish in 2015. McIlroy has finished in the top ten in six of the last seven Masters tournaments, and he still has plenty of time at the age of 31.
UFC 260 Preview: Familiar Heavyweights Collide
The UFC heavyweight championship will be on the line at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021 when Stipe Miocic takes on Francis Ngannou for the second time. Miocic was able to take down Ngannou for his third title defense at UFC 220 a little over three years ago, but Ngannou has blasted his last four opponents to earn another shot at the belt. This promotion will take place at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was originally supposed to be a second title fight on the cards. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was supposed to defend his strap against Brian Ortega, but that fight was postponed after Volkanovski tested positive for COVID. Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou Miocic has ruled the heavyweight division for most of the last five years. He won the title with a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in Brazil, and he secured first-round knockouts of Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos in his first two title defenses. Miocic beat Ngannou by unanimous decision before losing the title to Daniel Cormier six months later. He avenged that defeat at UFC 241 and then won the rubber match last August with a unanimous decision win. It’s been a familiar pattern for Ngannou. He either ends fights early or he loses on the judges’ cards. All three of his losses came by decision, while his last eight wins have all been over in the first round. Each of those wins came in under two minutes, and seven came by knockout while one was by submission. His 20-second knockout of Jairzinho Rozenstruik last year at UFC 249 showcased his early power, but Miocic is an experienced veteran that can control the Octagon. Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque Woodley was the welterweight champion for 33 months from July 2016 to March 2019. He won the strap over Robbie Lawler at UFC 201, and Woodley defended the belt against Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till before succumbing to the indomitable Kamaru Usman two years ago at UFC 235. He has lost his two most recent fights too, so he needs a win in a bad way against Vicente Luque. Luque has yet to defeat a top name in the UFC. He lost a unanimous decision to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244, and he wasn’t too impressive in his previous win over Mike Perry. Luque is almost a decade younger than Woodley, so he does have the youth and energy, but the former champion has the experience. Sean O’Malley vs. Thomas Almeida The colorful O’Malley has turned heads with more than his appearance as a fighter. He entered the Octagon three times in 2020, and he won Performance of the Night bonuses with his wins over Jose Alberto Quinonez and Eddie Wineland. O’Malley suffered his first loss at UFC 252 against Marlon Vera, and he hasn’t stepped back into the ring since that point. Almeida was 21-0 in November 2015. However, he has lost four of his last five fights, and he has only been inside the Octagon once in the last three years. The 29-year-old was dealing with an eye injury that left him sidelined for a prolonged period, so he is hoping to make up for lost time.
Cinderellas to Watch in the NCAA Tournament
March Madness is upon us and millions have filled out their brackets. The NCAA Tournament is back after a one-year hiatus, and it promises to bring the traditional excitement that comes with this time of year. One of the traditions that comes with this event is the thrill of finding the right upset and bragging about your shrewd pick, so here are some tips for Cinderellas to look out for over the next few weeks. Loyola (Chicago) Ramblers Loyola was the most recent Cinderella to shock the world during its run to the 2018 Final Four. The Ramblers squeaked past their first three opponents before hammering Kansas State in the Elite Eight to make just their second Final Four appearance as a program. Sister Jean became a national name over those two weeks, and this year’s team has the potential to make some noise. The Ramblers are rated the ninth best team in the country by Ken Pomeroy. They have the top defense in the nation, and they are fundamentally sound on offense, making 58% of their two-pointers. Loyola got a big boost when it was announced that first-round opponent Georgia Tech won’t have superstar Moses Wright available due to COVID, and this team has a good chance of knocking off No. 1 seed Illinois. Texas Tech Red Raiders There aren’t many teams that have bigger “what if” scenarios than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders went 17-10 this season, but three of their losses were by a single point and two more came in overtime to No. 3 seed Oklahoma State. They weren’t competitive against Baylor, but Texas Tech knocked off No. 3 seed Texas twice and lost to the Longhorns by a single point in the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Texas Tech doesn’t have the same talent it did during its Final Four run in the last NCAA Tournament. However, there are a lot of things working for the Red Raiders. They rank 30th in offensive rebounding percentage, don’t turn the ball over often, and get to the free throw line a lot. Their interior defense is solid, so this team can keep games close against all but the most elite teams. Syracuse Orange In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Syracuse made it to the Final Four as a No. 10 seed. The Orange went to the Sweet Sixteen two years later as a No. 11 seed, so this is a program that is used to pulling off upsets in March Madness. The defense isn’t as solid as it has been in the past under Jim Boeheim. The 2-3 Zone has been surprisingly porous for the last few years as more teams are able to knock down perimeter shots, so Syracuse has focused more on offense. Buddy Boeheim, Alan Griffin, and Quincy Guerrier can all get off quality looks, and this team takes advantage when it gets to the free throw line. Winthrop Eagles Generally, it’s wise to stay away from the upset that everyone is picking. However, Winthrop is a different animal. The Eagles would have been a tough test for any team as a No. 12 seed that went 23-1 in the regular season, but Villanova is not the same team we saw a few weeks ago. The Wildcats won’t have Collin Gillespie for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament due to a torn MCL. Villanova really struggled on offense without Gillespie in its most recent two games, and Winthrop can take advantage with Chandler Vaudrin running the offense.
Top Four Teams to Beat in the NCAA Tournament
After not having the NCAA Tournament last year due to COVID, everyone is excited for March Madness this year. We are set to have a full 68-team field after fears of the field being narrowed due to the virus, and that is the best sign yet that things are returning to normal. It’s been the most tumultuous regular season in the history of the sport due to the wave of postponements and cancellations, but we have seen some teams emerge as strong contenders to win it all. Gonzaga Bulldogs Mark Few and Gonzaga might finally win their first national championship this year. The Bulldogs have to be considered the top team to beat heading into the NCAA Tournament. They went undefeated in the regular season and are a perfect 26-0 entering March Madness after winning the West Coast Conference Tournament over BYU. They knocked off Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, and Virginia during the regular season, and they defeated St. Mary’s and BYU three times in WCC play. Gonzaga has four of the best players in the country in forwards Corey Kispert and Drew Timme and guards Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi. All four starters are extremely efficient shooters, averaging at least 11 PPG while making at least 50 percent of their baskets. That has the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in offensive efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy, and they are making a dizzying 63.9 percent of their two-pointers. Baylor Bears A regular season game between Baylor and Gonzaga had to be called off due to COVID, depriving us of what would have been the best game of the year and a potential national championship preview. Baylor has been the second-best team in the country all year. The Bears only loss came against Kansas in Lawrence, and they are 21-1 entering the Big 12 Tournament. They are the best three-point shooting team in the country (42.9 percent), and these guards do a great job applying pressure and forcing turnovers. Baylor ranks third nationally in turnover percentage and steal percentage as Jared Butler might be the best two-way player in college basketball. Butler is averaging 17.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.1 SPG while making 49.3 percent of his field goals and 44.4 percent of his treys. Michigan Wolverines The Juwan Howard experiment is paying off immensely for Michigan. There were plenty of naysayers when the Wolverines announced that one of the former members of the Fab Five would be coaching the team, but they are in contention for a No. 1 seed entering the NCAA Tournament. Michigan ranks sixth in offensive efficiency and fifth in defensive efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy. The Wolverines have been the top team in the toughest conference in the country, but they did end the regular season with losses in two of their last three games. Hunter Dickinson is one of the top big men in the country with 14.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG. He is making 59.6 percent of his field goals, and he is a defensive presence in the paint too. Florida State Seminoles Leonard Hamilton has slowly turned Florida State into a perpetual contender in the ACC. The Seminoles used to be known as a football school, but Hamilton has outperformed his colleagues on the gridiron over the last five years. FSU had perhaps its best team yet under his watch last season, and this team is once again elite in 2020-21. In the past, FSU was known for its defensive intensity. These Seminoles are known for the ingenuity on offense. They rank 10th in offensive efficiency, and they are the 13th best three-point shooting team in the nation. The interior defense is great with FSU ranking among the national leaders in two-point field goal percentage and blocks, so this team could be primed to make a real run.
Taking A Closer Look At UFC 259
Only a handful of UFC events have had three title fights on the docket, and UFC 259 will be the latest promotion to join this elite list on Saturday, March 6. Current light heavyweight title holder Jan Blachowicz will defend his strap against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the headline fight, but that isn’t the only belt up for grabs. Amanda Nunes will defend her featherweight title against Megan Anderson, and bantamweight champion Petr Yan will square off against Aljamain Sterling. UFC 259 will be held on Saturday, March 6, at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The early preliminary card will kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus, before four preliminary fights are broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Plus at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is slated to get started at 10 p.m. ET, and it will be available exclusively through ESPN Plus via PPV. Blachowicz vs. Adesanya Adesanya has yet to lose in his career. The Last Stylebender is 20-0 with 15 knockouts to his credit. His UFC debut was epic with a Performance of the Night bonus for his finish of Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221, and he has proved he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world over the last three years. He has showed his prowess at the middleweight level, first winning the interim title over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236. That was followed by a knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 to unify the division, and he successfully defended his belt against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa last year. This will be his first bout as a light heavyweight though. Blachowicz needed some time to find himself in the UFC. He lost four of his first six bouts in the promotion, but he turned things around with a Performance of the Night submission of Devin Clark in October 2017. That spurred a streak where Blachowicz has won eight of his last nine fights with his only loss coming against Thiago Santos two years ago. His first title shot came at UFC 253 in September. Blachowicz made the most of it with a second-round TKO win against Dominick Reyes. However, he will have a more difficult time against Adesanya. Nunes vs. Anderson There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Amanda Nunes. The Lioness is also the “Baddest Woman on the Planet”, as she has not lost a bout since September 2014. Nunes has held both the featherweight and bantamweight titles for the last two years, and the only person to really challenge her during her winning streak is flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. That means Megan Anderson has her work cut out for her. Anderson took down Norma Dumont Viana last year to help set up this showdown, but Nunes is on a completely different level. The challenger has recent losses to Holly Holm and Felicia Spencer, so an upset here would be quite unexpected. Yan vs. Sterling Interestingly enough, Petr Yan took part in the last promotion where three titles were on the line. He defeated Jose Aldo by fifth-round TKO at UFC 251 to claim the bantamweight belt. Yan is 15-1 in his career with no losses for nearly five years, but Aljamain Sterling represents a real test. Sterling submitted Cory Sandhagen in the first round of UFC 250 to earn this title shot. He has won five straight fights coming into this bout, but he is a very different fighter from Yan. While Yan has a lot of power and nearly half of his wins are by knockout, Sterling has just two knockout wins in 22 fights.
Four Teams That Can Knock Off the Los Angeles Lakers and Win the 2020-21 NBA Championship
The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to repeat as NBA champions. LeBron James led the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade last year, and Los Angeles only lost five games during its run. That has made the Lakers the team to beat in everyone’s eyes, as James is out to win his fifth championship. There are only a handful of teams that have a legitimate chance to stop the Lakers from winning their 18th NBA title. The Brooklyn Nets are clearly the most talented team in the Eastern Conference after their acquisition of James Harden, and the city rival Los Angeles Clippers will be a tough out in the postseason. Utah and Philadelphia have a puncher’s chance too, but it’s tough to see Milwaukee beating LA four times in seven games. BROOKLYN NETS Brooklyn might not be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but this team has the highest ceiling. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden are the most talented trio of stars on a single team. It’s going to take time for roles to be fully flushed out, but the Nets are already starting to gel. Harden has emerged as the primary ball handler and might end up leading the NBA in assists this season. All three stars are averaging at least 24 PPG and all three players are also devastatingly efficient, making at least 50 percent of their field goals and 40 percent of their three-pointers. That makes the Nets the highest-scoring and most efficient offense in the NBA. My first reaction after hearing about Anthony Davis aggravating his right Achilles: The Brooklyn Nets are going to win the NBA championship. pic.twitter.com/r2vZHncj8l — Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 15, 2021 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS The Clippers were the favorites to win the NBA title for most of last season. However, this team fell apart in Orlando. There were some major chemistry issues, and that led to a new coach and some new blood. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the two leaders of this team. Leonard is the best on-ball defender in the league, and George has done a much better job of knocking down shots. Serge Ibaka and Nic Batum give the Clippers two experienced big men, and Lou Williams can make things happen off the bench. UTAH JAZZ Utah is currently the hottest team in the league. The Jazz have the NBA’s best record at 24-5. They have won 20 of their last 21 games after a 4-4 start, and the Jazz have won nine in a row in February. Utah has yet to face the Lakers, but the Jazz have defeated the Bucks and the Clippers twice. Rudy Gobert is playing at a high level, looking like the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year after a letdown 2019-20 season. The backcourt is what drives this team though as Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley have emerged alongside Donovan Mitchell to play excellent smallball. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS This is the most intriguing team in the NBA. Joel Embiid is playing at an MVP caliber level with 29.7 PPG and 10.8 RPG. Embiid no longer looks gassed late in games, and he has a whopping 30.82 PER. He is a force of nature in the low post, and he does a great job putting opponents in foul trouble by getting to the line over 11 times a night. The X-Factor is Ben Simmons. Simmons is making 56.2 percent of his field goals, but he thrives in transition and stalls in the half-court. He is the rare guard that cannot shoot from downtown, and his failure to deliver at the free-throw line is concerning too. However, Simmons plays great defense and is an excellent passer. That played a pivotal role in the Sixers’ 107-106 win over the Lakers back on January 27.
An Early Look At The 2021 Masters
After winning the November Masters with a course record 268, Dustin Johnson is the favorite to win the 2021 Masters. Johnson is currently first in the PGA Tour rankings. He has only played in four events this season, but he finished T6 at the US Open, T2 at the Houston Open, claimed his first green jacket, and he earned a T11 finish at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Johnson has had plenty of time off, so he is optimistic about becoming the first golfer to repeat as Masters champion since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. Event Details Event: 2021 Masters Tournament Category: PGA Tour Date: April 8 -11, 2021 Location: Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Georgia Past Winners 2020: Dustin Johnson -20 2019: Tiger Woods -13 2018: Patrick Reed -15 2017: Sergio Garcia -9 2016: Danny Willett -5 Only Jack Nicklaus has won the Masters Tournament more often than Tiger Woods. Woods channeled the Golden Bear by winning his first green jacket in 14 years in 2019, but he is running out of time to catch Nicklaus for the all-time lead in Augusta. He is now 45 years old, and his 2019 Masters win was his first major since the 2008 US Open. Johnson won this event by five strokes last year. That was the largest winning margin since Woods won his first Masters in 1997. He was tied with four others for the lead at -9 heading into the weekend, and then he pulled away with a 65 on Saturday and a 68 on Sunday. Im Sung-Jae and Cameron Smith tied for second at -15, while Justin Thomas was a distant fourth at -12. The Course There is no more distinctive course in the United States than Augusta National. While it doesn’t have the natural beauty of Pebble Beach or the difficulty of Winged Foot, it has a certain flare all its own. The prestige surrounding this event is greater than all other tournaments at this point. It is the only one of golf’s four majors to take place on the same course each year. Contenders Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy are both searching for their first Masters wins. DeChambeau has never finished in the top 20 at Augusta, and only two of his 16 rounds here have finished in the 60s. He finished 34th here last year, 18 shots behind Johnson. The big hitter won the US Open in September though, and he must be feared due to his immense power. As for McIlroy, he has been close, but he has never finished better than fourth. He has six T10 finishes at Augusta in his last seven trips, so it feels like a breakthrough is imminent. McIlroy has four major victories, but it’s now been seven years since his last major title. A Longshot With A Shot Bubba Watson has won the Masters twice in his career. He only has 12 career victories on the PGA Tour, but he has continually played well at Augusta. Watson won this event in 2012 and 2014, and he finished fifth here in 2018. However, he hasn’t won a tournament since the 2018 Travelers Championship.
Plenty Of Fun Props For Super Bowl LV
In spite of being just a single game to determine the NFL’s Champion, the Super Bowl offers a wide selection of prop bets to wager on outside the game itself. Wagering correctly can win bank on something as insignificant as the color of the Gatorade dumped on a coach’s head or the opening coin toss. With so many to choose from, here’s a handful that should be interesting to watch. PATRICK MAHOMES TOTAL TD PASSES Regardless of whether you feel the Kansas City Chiefs will defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Patrick Mahomes can be counted on for a notable performance. While the Chiefs’ offense has been prolific as ever, Mahomes has only passed for four or more touchdowns three times. He had four against the Baltimore Ravens on Sep. 28, five against the New York Jets on Nov. 1 and four against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 8. In spite of stacking up victories, Mahomes hasn’t thrown for over three touchdown passes in eight consecutive games, thanks to a prolific running game that can punch the ball into the end zone. So if you’re zeroing in on that prop, use that information accordingly. PATRICK MAHOMES TOTAL RUSHING ATTEMPTS Mahomes would much rather use his arm to move the football down the field than his legs, but that doesn’t mean he can’t sprint around when he needs to. Mahomes averaged 4.1 rushes per game this season and five yards per run. He picks his moments, but this prop can be dangerous. In spite of his average, there are three games in which he never rushed for a single yard. He rushed five or more times in seven games. COIN TOSS Speaking of the coin toss, there’s some real history here if you need it. Obviously, with 54 Super Bowls in the books there’s plenty of data to crunch before you lay down your cash. TAILS has a 29-25 advantage over HEADS in the Super Bowl coin flip. HEADS’ longest streak was five consecutive wins. TAILS had three different streaks of four consecutive wins. In all, 25 teams that won the coin toss also won the game. Currently the coin toss winner is on a six-game losing streak entering Sunday. The last team to win the toss and the game was the 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks. The Dallas Cowboys have won the toss six times, the 49ers five, Miami Dolphins four, the Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders three, the New England Patriots three and the Seahawks three. COLOR OF LIQUID POURED ON WINNING COACH If we’re going to do a deep dive into the coin flip, we might as well do the same with Gatorade and/or water. Last year ORANGE was the big winner as Andy Reid found himself covered in the stuff after his team’s victory. Squads could be superstitious so, if you think the Chiefs are going to win Sunday, Orange is a safe bet. The year before, the New England Patriots picked BLUE, the year before that, the Philadelphia Eagles chose YELLOW and the year before that it was NONE, as the game was a last second nailbiter. Since 2001, the big winner has been ORANGE, with a total of five appearances. CLEAR recorded four wins with a streak of bucket dumping victories from 2005-2008. After that, it’s YELLOW with three.
Super Bowl Preview: Chiefs vs Bucs
After taking a year off from the Super Bowl, Tom Brady made his return, this time at the helm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They face off against the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV Sunday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. EST. The Buccaneers took the scenic route to the Super Bowl as a Wild Card team. They knocked off the NFC East champion Washington Football Team 31-23 to begin their trek. In the NFC Divisional Round they smacked around the New Orleans Saints 30-20 before handing Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers a Lambeau loss in a 31-26 victory in the NFC Championship. Kansas City, as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, got to remain at home for its two playoff wins. A 22-17 victory in the Divisional Round over the Cleveland Browns was followed by a relatively easy 38-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game. Mahomes and the Chiefs are now vying to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since Tom Brady did it with the New England Patriots during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (16-2) The Chiefs finished the 2020 regular season as the NFL’s best offense, rolling up 6,653 total yards. They were No. 2 in yards per play at 6.3 and No. 6 in points scored. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrapped up his fourth season in the league with a 14-1 record as a starter. Mahomes completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,740 yards, 38 touchdowns and six interceptions. He sat out the last regular season game as the Chiefs had already secured the top AFC seed. Kansas City finished as the league’s 14th best passing defense and 21st ranked rushing defense. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (15-5) Tampa Bay was the third best team in the league in points scored this season, piling up 492. They finished as the No. 7 overall offense and were seventh in yards per play. Tom Brady, in his first year with the Buccaneers, went 11-5 as a starter, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Bucs were the 21st ranked passing defense and the top ranked rushing defense. THE PICK As much history as there is in this game, no legacies are on the line. Brady had secured the title of the best quarterback of all time and only solidified it this season by taking a moribund franchise like the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. We can call this a team sport all we want, but pretty much this same squad went 7-9 with Jameis Winston at QB a year ago. Now, they’re playing for a Lombardi Trophy. Mahomes has already won a Super Bowl and, in that, his legacy is also set. All he can do now is build on it by stacking them up like the man lining up across from him Sunday. This will probably be the only Super Bowl match up between Mahomes and Brady and the winner gets the historic bragging rights. If there is a player that has a shot at matching or exceeding Brady’s legacy it’s Mahomes, and a head to head win will do a lot when that conversation comes up 15-20 years from now. The Chiefs have been the best team in football for the last two years. While Tampa Bay has earned its spot in the Super Bowl, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to see a scenario in which Andy Reid doesn’t claim his second Super Bowl victory. Chiefs 31, Buccaneers 23