Kansas City Chiefs are the best opponent Tom Brady has faced out of all 10 of his Super Bowls
Tom Brady has faced some extremely tough opponents in his previous nine Super Bowl appearances. Think “The Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams led by a trio of HOFers QB Kurt Warner, RB Marshall Faulk, and WR Isaac Bruce. Not to mention, they had another All-Pro WR and borderline HOFer in Torry Holt. Their offense was unstoppable but with the help of his defense, Brady defeated them in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history in 2001.
Fast forward to 2014, Brady was looking to get back on top for the first time since 2004. His opponents were the Seattle Seahawks, a potential budding dynasty looking to win back-to-back championships (sound familiar?). They were led by “The Legion of Boom,” one of the greatest modern defenses ever assembled, featuring the likes of CB Richard Sherman, FS Earl Thomas, SS Kam Chancellor, and LB Bobby Wagner. However, Brady carved them up in the fourth quarter and with the help of the most important defensive play in modern NFL history, earned his fourth ring via a goal-line interception with seconds remaining.
As good as those teams were, neither of them presents the type of challenge that the Chiefs do. Kansas City is the third team looking to defend their title against a Brady-led squad in the big game but this KC group is even more dangerous offensively than the 2001 Rams. As good as Warner was, he’s no Patrick Mahomes. Nobody has had a better start to their career as Mahomes, who leads essentially every passing category since taking over as the starter. He holds NFL records for PASS YDS (16,206), TDs (131), RTG (108.8), and QB wins (44) through his first 53 games (incl. playoffs), while winning an MVP and a Super Bowl already.
The talent around him is exceptional as well. Travis Kelce, who finished 2020 with a NFL TE record 1,416 yards, has recorded five straight 1,000 yard seasons (also a TE record). He’s also throwing to one of the most dangerous WRs ever in Tyreek Hill, who’s pure speed is unmatched. Hill shredded the Bucs in Week 12 for 13 REC, 269 YDS (career-high), and 3 TDs. Those two form the most prolific WR-TE combo the NFL has seen. The KC defense, which plays excellent complimentary football, finished 10th in points allowed. They combine with a historic offense as the toughest opponent the GOAT has faced in the Super Bowl.
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