5 reasons Chiefs will win Super Bowl LV

The Kansas City Chiefs hope to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champion since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005. To do it, they will have to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady, incidentally, just so happens to be the quarterback who guided the Patriots to back-to-back titles 16 years ago. And there is no doubt that, at 43 years old, he is more than a little motivated to add yet another championship to his mantel.

But securing another Super Bowl ring is not going to be easy. The Chiefs have the look of a team that is in its prime and is ready to meet any challenge.

They have the best quarterback in the NFL. The most creative head coach. An impressive assortment of offensive talent and an underrated defense led by one of the most creative defensive minds in the NFL.

For those reasons, it is hard to imagine Kansas City not taking care of business on Sunday.

Here are five reasons why the Chiefs will leave Tampa, Florida, with their second championship in a row.

1. Patrick Mahomes

While Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, it is Mahomes who is the greatest at the moment. As he showed in the AFC championship game while playing with a painful turf toe injury and coming off a concussion just seven days before, there really isn’t much anyone — or anything — can do to stop him.

Mahomes is at the top of his game, physically and mentally, and can beat teams with his arm, eyes, legs and sheer will. It is hard to imagine Mahomes letting this opportunity slip through his fingers, especially with Brady watching from the other sideline.

2. Too many weapons

While Mahomes is the bandleader, it would be disingenuous not to recognize that he has one of the best supporting casts in the NFL. Travis Kelce is the league’s best tight end and can single-handedly wreck a defense. The chemistry he has with Mahomes is second to none. They form a powerful duo and can connect in the most stressful of situations to break the backs of opponents.

Tyreek Hill, with his world-class speed, is the ultimate weapon as a wide receiver. He can hurt you in a variety of ways. Throw it to him short, he is liable to take it to the house. It’s the same with an intermediate throw. And as a deep threat, he is the league’s best.

But the Chiefs also have wide receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, among others. It’s an embarrassment of riches, and with Mahomes overseeing it all, it will be too much for the Buccaneers.

3. Chris Jones a beast

The wrecking ball in the interior of the Chiefs’ defensive line, Jones put on a show in the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills, who had no real answer for him. He can change the dynamic of a game with the power he brings up the middle.

Against the Bills, he was generating pressure up front — or occupying blockers to allow blitzing linebackers to operate in space — and making life difficult for their offense. Jones will put heat on Brady, who isn’t the most nimble of quarterbacks, and force him into costly mistakes.

4. Steve Spagnuolo

Longtime football fans remember Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants when they upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots were the highest-scoring team in NFL history at the time, but Spagnuolo drew up a brilliant plan to slow them down.

Expect him to do the same in a rematch against Brady, who was the Patriots quarterback when Spagnuolo and the Giants put the clamps on him.

5. Andy Reid

The Chiefs’ head coach is already a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, but he has a chance to become one of only a handful of coaches to win multiple Super Bowls. With two weeks to prepare for the Buccaneers and draw up a bunch of new plays, expect him to have some tricks up his sleeve.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.