By Evan Roney

With the 2021 Super Bowl’s continuation, the stands were packed with both people and cardboard cutouts in the Tampa Bay stadium. The audience was huge as many were excited to watch some professional sports in a time where most are cancelled.

The match was between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs were favored to win with their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. This game is the Buccaneers second Super Bowl ever—the first being Super Bowl 37 in 2003 which they won with a score of 48 – 21. This year will be Tom Brady’s 10th Super Bowl, as he is now playing for the Buccaneers with hopes to win his seventh Super Bowl. For the first time ever, there will also be a female referee: Sarah Thomas, who was the down judge. 

The first quarter started with the away team, the Chiefs, winning the coin toss and choosing to kick off. A 49-yard field goal kicked by Harrison Butker was the first point to be scored in the first quarter for the Chiefs. Towards the end of the first quarter, the Buccaneers scored a touchdown between Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, followed by a field goal from Ryan Succop. The quarter ended at a score of 3-7, with the Buccaneers in the lead.

The Chiefs started the second quarter with the ball but quickly lost possession. After kicking a field goal, the Buccaneers went to a first down after an offside call and made the touchdown and the kick. Towards the end of the second quarter, the Chiefs make another field goal of 34 yards. The Buccaneers scored another touchdown and kick, ending the half at a score of 21-6, with the Buccaneers in the lead. The first half was followed by an halftime performance from popular singer The Weeknd.

The second half started with the Buccaneers kicking off to the Chiefs followed by a quick shut down. The Chiefs then scored another field goal and brought them to a score of nine from kicks alone. The Buccaneers scored another touchdown and field goal kick eight minutes into the third quarter, essentially securing their win. The third quarter concluded with a score of 31-9, and the Chiefs fell further behind with just one more quarter to catch up.

The fourth quarter mostly consisted of back and forth possession. The amount of fouls peaked in the second quarter and declined as the Buccaneers increased their lead. The Chiefs tried to get their first touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter but instead threw an interception in the end zone. After this the game ended with a score of 31-9, both teams congratulated each other, and Tom Brady claimed his seventh Super Bowl championship.