I’m calling it the Boredom Bowl of 2021

Sunday was the first time in many years that I turned the channel before the Big Game was over. Normally, there’s at least some smidgen of dramatic tension left in the fourth quarter, with the losing team having a shot at either taking the lead or at least tying the score.

Not this year. This year it was yet another episode of “The Tom Brady Show,” a warmed-over rerun that I was not interested in watching. By the time the fourth quarter started, the final score of 31-9 in favor of the Tampa Bay Bucs was already in place, as neither team even scored in the final frame. Gee, how exciting.

The Super Bowl is supposed to be the ultimate showdown between the NFL’s two greatest teams, at least based on their records. And, leading up to Sunday’s game, it certainly looked like that was the case this year. As the returning champions from last year, the Kansas City Chiefs still had their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, leading a highscoring offense.

A lot of people like to say that certain players, usually quarterbacks, are “fun to watch,” and I oftentimes find that phrase overused. But not when it comes to Patrick Mahomes. His fantastic footwork and amazing sidearmed throws are legitimately enjoyable to watch, especially when he salvages a successful throw from what would normally be a sack for most quarterbacks (I’m thinking of you, Kirk Cousins).

Even though he didn’t score one touchdown on Sunday, he was still a hundred times more entertaining to watch than Tom Brady. With both of his starting offensive tackles out due to injuries, he was constantly on the run, trying to almost singlehandedly bring his team back from the brink even though he was getting hammered by the Bucs’ defense. If just one or two of his amazing lastsecond passes — including one when he was on the way to the ground — had been caught, the tide could have turned.

Brady, on the other hand, seemed to face very little adversity. It was as if he and Rob Gronkowski were just left alone to play catch with each other in the end zone. I don’t think even one strand of his perfect hair was knocked out of place during the entire game. In a way, the whole game was just a warm-up for his two-hour photo shoot afterward.

The constant flag-throwing in the first half of the game didn’t help. I’m definitely a “let them play” person when it comes to penalties, especially when it seems like all of the yellow streamers are thrown in one direction.

As a Vikings fan, it was almost enough to make me wish the Packers had been there to represent the NFC. At least then, I could have seen my wife and everyone else around me get excited. Instead, Linda was just as ho-hum as I was.

OUT FOR A WALK

KEVIN O’BRIEN

EDITOR