TOM BRADY SEALED his place in the pantheon of America’s greatest sporting icons, winning a record seventh Super Bowl as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
The 43-year-old Brady — who became the oldest man to play in the Super Bowl — etched another remarkable chapter in his 21-year career as the Buccaneers shattered the Chiefs’ dreams of back-to-back NFL championships.
Brady, who only joined the Buccaneers last year after two decades with the New England Patriots, delivered a vintage display with three touchdowns at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
But it was a miserable night for the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, seen by many as the likeliest pretender to Brady’s throne.
Mahomes, 25, was roughed up repeatedly by a relentless Buccaneers defense, sacked three times and intercepted twice, failing to register a touchdown as the Chiefs’ vaunted offense failed to fire.
Instead the night belonged to the Buccaneers and Brady, who added another incredible feat to his extensive catalogue of achievements by leading his new franchise to the Vince Lombardi trophy after a tumultuous season played under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The expected Super Bowl classic never materialised as the Buccaneers dominated to race into a 21-6 first half lead with two touchdowns from Brady’s old Patriots team-mate Rob Gronkwowski and a third from Antonio Brown.
Running back Leonard Fournette rushed for a fourth early in the third quarter as the Bucs comfortably closed out a win that saw head coach Bruce Arians become the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl.
