Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady and 5 stars who led to Super Bowl win
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star No. 4: Shaquil Barrett, EDGE
You could legitimately make a case that the biggest star for the Buccaneers outside of Brady was defensive coordinator Todd Bowles (and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich for that matter). However, if we’re looking at the best players on the field, Shaquil Barrett was at the forefront.
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Going up against a makeshift Kansas City offensive line, the Bucs were able to consistently take advantage as they pressured Patrick Mahomes relentlessly — a record 29 times to be exact. Many players got in on the action and Ndamukong Suh actually led the team with 1.5 sacks. However, Barrett was the one who was always involved.
Barrett finished the night with one sack but four QB hits and way more pressures than that. It felt as if it was every other play that he was in the backfield making Mahomes run for his life. He made the unmistakable case that Tampa must bring him back next season as he hits free agency.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star No. 3: Tristan Wirfs, OT
Whenever the Buccaneers were able to land Tristan Wirfs in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, most people considered it a massive victory for the franchise. He was an offensive tackle who could plug and play. But even with that, there was the question of how he’d perform. Yet, he answered that with a big rookie season. And that didn’t stop in the Super Bowl.
Despite the Chiefs trying to get after Brady and force him off his spot, Wirfs and the rest of the offensive line were a brick wall. The rookie allowed only one pressure on the night and it’s clear that the Iowa product was ready for the moment, even in a tough matchup. Wirfs lived up to the billing of being a game-changing addition in the trenches.