Tom Brady, Buccaneers have faced gauntlet leading to Super Bowl 55

After years of cruising through the AFC, Tom Brady has broken through a vigorous NFC gauntlet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reach Super Bowl 55.

For much of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady‘s career, the outside perception was that he has never truly faced competition in the NFL Playoffs. More often than not, the blame game was deflected towards playing in the AFC East and riding an easy wave to the AFC Championship game before getting to the Super Bowl and having a 6-3 record to show for it. Other times, it was how his defenses helped him along the way.

Many have failed to realize or chose to ignore what Brady accomplished this season without having any offseason or any form of preseason contact. Instead, the perception was solely based on the idea that Brady “stacked the deck” with the weapons at his disposal and the number of talented players on the roster.

If that was the case, how was it that he had to play as a Wild Card team? Furthermore, given how the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees dominated them for much of the year and how there were games where Tampa Bay looked lethargic and out of sync, how was this road easy? Shouldn’t talent automatically associate with wins? That’s not the case, and the road wasn’t easy and at this point, arguing otherwise is futile.

The icing on the cake, or rather the basis of this analysis, is how Brady has gone through a vaunted NFC playoff gauntlet to reach Super Bowl LV against the NFL’s hottest commodity in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Beating three teams on the road when a majority of the time, Tampa Bay was not favored to win is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Sure, beating Washington doesn’t sound terrifying, but keep in mind they did possess one of the league’s best defenses and a potential defensive rookie of the year winner in Chase Young. Then, the Buccaneers went on the road to win against New Orleans after two regular-season losses. If that wasn’t enough to satisfy expectations, the team secured a home Super Bowl berth by going on the road in the cold to beat potential league MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Tom Brady has shown that he can lead a team to the Super Bowl, and a victory would effectively end any doubt about his greatness.

Sure Brady was disappointing in the second half of the NFC Championship with three turnovers, yet he won the game. However, choosing to focus on his mistakes is more often than not the job of social media and those who analyze the game. As for everyone, they should tip their cap to him. The job is not finished, however, as a great challenge lies ahead in the Super Bowl.

Kansas City is looking to repeat as a champion, which Brady last accomplished during 2003 and 2004. Furthermore, the Chiefs are currently being discussed as a dynasty after the run they have had this season, coming off their win over San Francisco a year ago. What about Brady? He’s gotten some attention for what he’s done, but the topic continually reverts to how he will fare against Mahomes and his seemingly unstoppable team.

The spread favors Kansas City, and rightfully so. Furthermore, the Buccaneers still have that memory of Tyreek Hill burning them through one quarter in a 27-24 loss. Brady struggled in that game, to say the least, and while his second-half comeback was a good effort, the game was still lost.

Nothing is more important to Tom Brady than winning a Super Bowl. As teammate Lavonte David explained, Brady told one of his teammates to stop crying after winning the NFC Championship as “they haven’t won anything yet.”

Sure, winning the NFC is a big deal, but the George Halas Trophy, as authentic as it is, is a paperweight compared to the Lombardi Trophy, something that Tampa Bay has only hoisted once in their history. They have a chance to hoist it once again and finish one of the greatest postseason runs in NFL history. That’s a feat that Brady would love to have on his résume.