Super Bowl LV

"2021 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl at the completion of the 2021 season, see Super Bowl LVI.

Super Bowl LV
DateFebruary 7, 2021
StadiumRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida[a]
MVPTom Brady, quarterback
FavoriteChiefs by 3[1]
RefereeCarl Cheffers[2][3]
Attendance24,835[b]
Ceremonies
National anthemEric Church and Jazmine Sullivan[4]
Coin tossSuzie Dorner, ICU nurse representing medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic
Halftime showThe Weeknd[5]
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS
ESPN Deportes
AnnouncersJim Nantz (play-by-play)
Tony Romo (analyst)
Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn (sideline reporters)
Jay Feely (special teams analyst)
Gene Steratore (rules analyst)
Nielsen ratings38.2 (national)
59.9 (Kansas City)
52.3 (Tampa Bay)
U.S. viewership: 96.4 million[6]
Cost of 30-second commercial$5.6 million
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersKevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Kurt Warner (analyst)
Laura Okmin and Tony Boselli (sideline reporters)

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.[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]

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.[c][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.


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  1. ^ Purdum, David (January 24, 2020). "Kansas City Chiefs (−3) open as favorites over Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (January 19, 2021). "Super Bowl LV officiating crew: Carl Cheffers named referee, Sarah Thomas to make history". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Filipe, Cameron (January 19, 2021). "Carl Cheffers is the referee for Super Bowl LV. Sarah Thomas becomes the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl". Football Zebras. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Eric Church, Jazmine Sullivan to sing national anthem at Super Bowl LV; H.E.R. to sing America the Beautiful". NFL.com (Press release). January 19, 2021. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "The Weeknd to headline Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show at Raymond James Stadium". NFL.com (Press release). November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Draper, Kevin (February 9, 2021). "Super Bowl Ratings Hit a 15-Year Low. It Still Outperformed Everything Else". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Graham, Bryan Armen (February 8, 2021). "Super Bowl LV: Buccaneers beat Chiefs for Tom Brady's magnificent seventh". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Farmer, Sam (May 7, 2020). "NFL is ready to call an audible or two if coronavirus forces schedule changes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Shook, Nick (January 24, 2021). "Buccaneers will be first team to play in Super Bowl at home stadium". NFL.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Highsmith, Jordan (February 13, 2022). "1st Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now LA Rams win the Super Bowl at home stadium". 10 Tampa Bay. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Patra, Kevin (February 2, 2021). "Official attendance expected for Super Bowl LV: 25,000 fans, 30,000 cutouts". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Wilnerap, Barry (January 28, 2021). "Chiefs trying for first Super Bowl repeat win in 16 years". AP News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Kerr, Jeff (February 8, 2021). "Super Bowl 2021: Patrick Mahomes has no excuses for Chiefs' humbling loss to Buccaneers". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  14. ^ Fedotin, Jeff (February 8, 2021). "Chiefs lose Super Bowl LV along the line of scrimmage". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Bell, Jarrett (February 8, 2021). "Opinion: Penalties, blunders, distractions doom Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  16. ^ Goldman, Charles (February 7, 2021). "Chiefs first half vs. Buccaneers marred by record-setting penalty numbers". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  17. ^ Selbe, Nick (February 8, 2021). "Chiefs Commit Super Bowl–Record Eight First-Half Penalties". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Shook, Nick (February 7, 2021). "Buccaneers QB Tom Brady extends record with fifth Super Bowl MVP in win over Chiefs". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  19. ^ Selbe, Nick (January 24, 2021). "Looking Back at Tom Brady's Nine Other Super Bowl Appearances". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Spry, Terry Jr. (February 5, 2021). "VERIFY: Super Bowl 55 already one for the record books". King5.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Oldest Quarterback To Win Super Bowl Mvp". StatMuse. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Williams, Madison (December 5, 2021). "Oldest NFL coaches in history: Where do Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, other active HCs rank on all-time list?". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.