It has been 26 years since a team won the Super Bowl back-to-back, with the New England Patriots the last franchise to do so. Buccaneers quarterback, Tom Brady, knows all about that success as he was the starting QB in both of those wins.
Tampa Bay have started the defense of the Vince Lombardi Trophy with a success. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game to extend their run of victories in competitive matches to nine, a run that stretches back to December 13.
The defending champions are at the top end of the outright market for Super Bowl LVI. In the NFL betting trend for the 2021/22 season, which covers types of bets, NFL events, and top picks, the Buccaneers are the favorites to win their division and NFC Conference once again. Head coach Bruce Arians will have been delighted to keep hold of the majority of the leading players of his roster heading into 2021. Antonio Brown, Shaquil Barrett, Leonard Fournette, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski all signed new deals to remain in Florida.
Brady Not Slowing Down Despite Age
Brady is into his second season in Tampa Bay. This will be his 22nd campaign in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl winner is now 44 years old, but he is showing no signs of his game being on the decline. It did not take Brady long to settle into his new team in 2020 and, as the season progressed, he looked even more comfortable and formed a great relationship with the receivers he was throwing to.
In that victory over the Cowboys in week one this year, the Buccaneers QB threw for 379 yards, he had four touchdowns and a completion rate of 32/50. It was another impressive display from the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Brady signed a one-year extension in the off-season which ensures he will stay with Tampa Bay through 2022. His future beyond that is unknown, a lot may depend on how well he fares over the next couple of years.
Draft Picks Give Bucs New Talent
The Buccaneers selected seven players from the 2021 NFL Draft, and they will be hoping some of those make a big impact in their rookie season in Tampa Bay. The highlight of their picks was outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka who was chosen in the first round back in April.
Tryon-Shoyinka played against the Cowboys in the season opener and he recorded two tackles in that game. In 2019 he was named a Second-team All-Pac-12. The pass rusher had an excellent preseason and he looks to be carrying that form into the regular season.
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One of the other notable draft picks this year for the Bucs came in the second round. They chose quarterback Kyle Trask as the 64th overall selection. He could be the player they see as being Brady’s replacement at the franchise.
Trask was on the Heisman Trophy ballot in 20120. He played his college football in Florida, scoring 69 touchdowns across his three years there. He is unlikely to feature much in 2021, but he will be learning every day from Brady, which can only help his development.
As champions, the Bucs have a prize on their heads every game they feature in this season, and victory at the end of the campaign would rank even more impressively than it did back in February.