Who are the main players?
Each team has 11 players on the field and 48 players on its game day roster. So, keeping track of all the athletes can be even more difficult than trying to remember every character on Game of Thrones.
Let’s start with Kansas City’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes. According to NFL Research, last year’s victory made him one of the few quarterbacks, along with Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, to win a Super Bowl before the age of 25. In fact, Mahomes, now 25, will be the youngest starting quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls if he pulls out another victory.
Of course, this comes as no surprise to his fans. After all, he’s been on a hot streak ever since he joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. Not only has he secured both NFL and Super Bowl MVP titles during this time, but according to NFL Research, he’s also joined Brady, Russell Wilson and Kurt Warner as the only quarterbacks to reach the Super Bowl twice in their first four NFL seasons.
Another name to know? Travis Kelce. According to NFL Research, he broke the single-season receiving yards record by a tight end in December, a record previously held by George Kittle. And earlier this year, the research department noted he set the record for most receptions in a conference championship game in the Super Bowl era, a record previously set by Michael Irvin. Also, keep an eye out for Tyrann Mathieu—the safety has already secured six interceptions this season.
As for the Buccaneers, their quarterback is Brady. Over the course of his career, he’s won Super Bowl MVP four times; NFL MVP three times and played in 10 Super Bowls (including this upcoming game). He’s shattered numerous records. And if he wins Super Bowl LV, he’ll break at least one more. According to NFL Research, he’d become the first NFL/MLB/NBA/NHL athlete to win titles for two different teams after turning 40.
Viewers may also want to name-drop Mike Evans. According to NFL Research, the wide receiver is the first player to surpass more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven NFL seasons. There’s also Rob Gronkowski, a tight end who played for the Patriots along with Brady before coming over to the Buccaneers and has the potential to break the record with the quarterback for most postseason touchdown connections.
