The Super Bowl pick is in ... Get yours in
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes drops back to pass during the first half of the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 24.
(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
The time is here. I'm finally ready to make my Super Bowl LV pick.
I'm sure you've all been waiting for it. It took extensive research and hours of pouring over articles from expert analysts to come to this decision. Yeah right, I'm just wingin' it.
I mean that's what everyone is doing right. We all think we know what's going to happen and we all claim to be experts, but a lot of times in games of this magnitude things tend to stray away from the expected or what a diehard Chiefs fan thinks will play out.
But unfortunately folks, I'm not going against the grain. I'm doing what everyone else seems to be doing — I'm picking the Kansas City Chiefs.
I know I'm really going out on a limb here, but in my mind I am. Why? Because without Patrick Mahomes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be the clear favorite. They are the better all-around team.
The Bucs' defense is no joke. In the NFC championship game, they held the Packers' formidable offense to just 26 points and they sacked Aaron Rodgers five times. They did that while their quarterback, the infamous Tom Brady, decided to throw three interceptions in the second half.
The Chiefs will be without their starting left and right tackles on Sunday. Tampa Bay has an elite pass rush with Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett coming off the edge and they could give Mahomes plenty of problems.
If the Bucs do win, I think Pierre-Paul or Barrett will be named the Super Bowl MVP. That's how important they are to the outcome of Sunday's game.
The Chiefs' offense is unmatched, but the Bucs have plenty of weapons at their disposal and they have the "GOAT" under center.
But Mahomes is the great equalizer. He's a once-in-a-generation talent and there is no way Tampa Bay can shut him down for four quarters. The 49ers learned that lesson last year.
Mahomes will lead the Chiefs to back-to-back titles and he'll earn his second straight Super Bowl MVP.
When these two teams met in week 12 of the season, the Chiefs beat the Bucs 27-24 in Tampa and I think they'll win by the exact same score this Sunday.
Most of the people who have submitted picks for the Bee Super Bowl Challenge agree with me. Of the 40 picks we have received so far, 27 are going with the Chiefs and 23 are predicting Mahomes will win the MVP.
Time is running out for you to get your pick in for the Bee Super Bowl Challenge. The deadline to submit is 9 a.m. Saturday.
All you have to do is email in your prediction for the amount of points each team will score, the winner and your choice for MVP to dgreene@bonnercountydailybee.com. The winner will receive $100.
On Super Bowl Sunday, we will put a master list of the picks in the paper so you can follow along while watching the game.