Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the defending American Football Conference (AFC) and Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 31–9.[7] The game was played on February 7, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the home stadium of the Buccaneers, marking the first time a team played a Super Bowl in its home stadium; coincidentally, Super Bowl LV was the first of two consecutive Super Bowls in which the venue was the home stadium of the eventual winners, as Super Bowl LVI was won by the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.[8][9][10] Due to COVID-19 protocols limiting the stadium's seating capacity to 25,000 fans, it was the least-attended Super Bowl.[11]
"2021 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl at the completion of the 2021 season, see Super Bowl LVI.
Kansas City Chiefs (1)
(AFC)
(14–2)
February 7, 2021
Chiefs by 3[1]
24,835[a]
Suzie Dorner, ICU nurse representing medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jim Nantz (play-by-play)
Tony Romo (analyst)
Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn (sideline reporters)
Jay Feely (special teams analyst)
Gene Steratore (rules analyst)
38.2 (national)
59.9 (Kansas City)
52.3 (Tampa Bay)
U.S. viewership: 96.4 million[6]
$5.6 million
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Kurt Warner (analyst)
Laura Okmin and Tony Boselli (sideline reporters)
The Buccaneers' victory was their second and made them one of two teams, along with the Baltimore Ravens, to be undefeated in multiple Super Bowls. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and a wild card berth to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance through the guidance of several new acquisitions, most notably 21-year veteran quarterback Tom Brady in his first season away from the New England Patriots. The Chiefs, aided by their top-ranked offense, finished the regular season with a league-best 14–2 record to advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance and were the defending Super Bowl LIV champions, seeking to become the first repeat champions since the Patriots in 2004.[12]
For the first time under quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown and lost by double-digits, making them the third Super Bowl team not to score a touchdown.[b][13] They also committed 11 penalties for 120 yards, including a record eight penalties for 95 yards in the first half, most of which were called against the defense.[14][15][16][17] The Buccaneers capitalized on these struggles to take a commanding 21–6 lead at halftime and dominated the remainder of the game. Brady, who also extended his player records for Super Bowl appearances to ten and wins to seven, was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fifth time and was the first to receive the award with multiple franchises.[18][19][20] He became the oldest player to receive the honor and win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback at age 43,[21] breaking additional personal records, while Bruce Arians was the oldest head coach to win the Super Bowl at 68.[22]
The game was televised nationally by CBS. Country music singer Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan performed the national anthem, while the halftime show was headlined by Canadian singer the Weeknd.[5] On television, Super Bowl LV was seen by 91.63 million viewers, the lowest ratings for the game since 2006. Combined with viewership on other platforms, viewership was down by 5% overall in comparison to Super Bowl LIV, but with a 69% increase in average streaming viewership.
Entertainment[edit]
Pre-game ceremonies[edit]
A special pre-game concert for the invited health care workers attending the game—the TikTok Tailgate—was held in the afternoon prior to Super Bowl LV, and was headlined by Miley Cyrus, with guest appearances by Joan Jett and Billy Idol.[124] Portions were aired during CBS's pre-game show, while the full concert was streamed on the TikTok app.[125][126] While performing her song "Wrecking Ball", Cyrus broke down and said that it "never gets easier".[127]
A pre-game segment addressing racial unrest in the United States and the NFL's Inspire Change campaign featured a pre-recorded performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Alicia Keys from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[128] National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recited an original poem recognizing the game's three honorary captains participating in the coin toss ceremony, representing essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Los Angeles teacher Trimaine Davis, Tampa nurse Suzie Dorner and Marine veteran James Martin.[129]
R&B singer H.E.R. performed "America the Beautiful", and country music singer Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan performed "The Star-Spangled Banner". This was the second time that the national anthem was sung as a duet in a Super Bowl, the first time being in 2006.[4] At the end of the national anthem, a flyover was performed by the United States Air Force consisting of their three strategic bombers currently in active service: The B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress.
Super Bowl LV featured seven officials. Sarah Thomas was the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl and any championship event in the major North American professional sports leagues.[147] This was the first Super Bowl to have an alternate official for every position on the field since Super Bowl I. It was also the first time the replay official had a backup.[3] The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers.[2][3]
