While Tom Brady and his passing prowess will catch Super Bowl LV headlines, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ steady rushing attack that enabled them to blow past the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
Brady threw a pair of touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski and one to Antonio Brown on the way to a dominant Super Bowl victory at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette also got on the scoreboard with a 27-yard rushing touchdown to extend Tampa Bay’s third-quarter lead to 19.
Fournette’s performance may not be the biggest storyline coming out of Super Bowl weekend, but his role in the Buccaneers’ rushing offence alongside fellow back Ronald Jones II played a huge part in the team’s pursuit of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Going back to 2017, Fournette earned the nickname “Playoff Lenny” for his impressive performances in the NFL post-season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His career took a downturn in Jacksonville with on and off-field issues but, along with several other big-name players, he found himself just a few hours south for the 2020 season in Tampa.
This year he once again proved an effective post-season threat with the ball in his hands as he scored in each of the Buccaneers’ playoff games.
Much of his success has come from the play of Tampa Bay’s offensive line, with Donovan Smith, Ryan Jensen and first-round pick Tristan Wirfs controlling the line of scrimmage with confidence.
With carries shared between Fournette and Jones II, the running back duo weren’t highlight-reel fixtures like Brady and his receivers, but their use in pass protection and receiving out of the backfield were vital to keeping the offensive machine churning.
The backs provided a strong base for Brady to do what he does best with an offence, and both did well against some of the league’s better run defences in Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay.
By the time the Super Bowl came around, Tampa Bay looked to establish themselves with the to-and-fro of Brady through the air and Fournette along the ground.
The running backs continued their playoff form in the Big Game, setting the tone with first-down runs and shining when called upon through check-down passes.
That attacking threat completely opened the game for Brady, who would throw three touchdown passes, each coming off a faked handoff to Fournette.
Play-action passes became a giant nuisance for Kansas City with Brown, Gronkowski and Mike Evans all picking up important first downs thanks to the menace posed by Fournette in the backfield.
The Chiefs were not without playmakers on their defence, but Tampa Bay executed their scheme perfectly and came up with the answers under pressure.
Inside runs, quick passes and screens had the Kansas City defence scrambling all night long and, showing little promise on the offensive side of the ball, last year’s Super Bowl champions had no way back into the game.
Aside from a failed goal-to-go series from Jones II in the first half, the Buccaneers’ running back pair produced a near-perfect performance.
Jones II finished the game with 61 rushing yards while Fournette totalled 135 and joined Hall of Famer Terrell Davis as the only players to score in four playoff games in a single postseason.
All eyes were on the matchup of quarterbacks on Florida’s west coast but quietly, a player with an undefined NFL career evolved and claimed the title of “Super Bowl Lenny.”
You can check out the rest of SWL’s Super Bowl LV coverage here.
Featured image credit: All-Pro Reels via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0
