No, you are not dreaming!
This real (not dream) season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans has come to the ultimate fairy-tale ending, as Buccaneers are Super Bowl 55 champions, after a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
There are really no other superlatives for this Buccaneers season from start to finish except maybe the word remarkable. When the Bucs signed Tom Brady in March, playoff expectations were very high, even though the team had not made the playoffs in 13 seasons. And upon making the playoffs, the Bucs had to slay the dragons that came with a wild-card playoff appearance, having to win three games on the road to have the chance to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
But after defeating Washington, division rival New Orleans, and conference darling Green Bay, all on the road, the Bucs were not to be denied the destiny that awaited them.
The Bucs led 21-9 at the half, using a stout defense, and some luck, along with some undisciplined Kansas City play on defense. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes to get that first-half lead, two to Rob Gronkowski, and one to Antonio Brown as the half wound down. They extended their lead by 10 after a 27-yard Leonard Fournette touchdown run and a 52-yard Ryan Succop field goal in the third quarter.
Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes tried all they could to get back into the game, and Mahomes' wizardry put a scary jolt into Bucs' fans with some pinpoint throws under tremendous amounts of pressure that Kansas City receivers could not hold onto.
But in the end, it was the Bucs who came out the victors, running out the clock in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs tried valiantly, but could not put any more points on the board, their last attempt to score ending in the end zone on a Devon White interception.
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