© Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Our final picks for the year are here with the panel diving in and making their prediction for the Super Bowl. There are plenty of reasons why both the Chiefs and Buccaneers could end up winning the Lombardi Trophy, but there's an overwhelming favorite from the experts this week.
This is the classic battle of offense vs. defense. Traditional football wisdom normally tells us that defense wins in these situations, but the NFL has changed a lot too. The rules favor offense a lot more than when the Bucs last won their Super Bowl against the Raiders, which was a very similar battle during the game.
There's also Patrick Mahomes, whose stellar play has turned the Chiefs from a middling team to a juggernaut since entering the league. The Tampa Bay secondary will face the biggest test, needing to defend multiple levels to stop a KC passing attack that is able to attack the field on deep, intermediary and short routes effectively without losing much potency. The real issue is for the Chiefs is the offensive line, which is demonstrably weaker than a year ago - and just lost Eric Fisher to a torn Achilles in the AFC Championship Game.
So while the lead up to the game may have focused on Tom Brady and whether he can get one more ring, really it will be about what happens on the other side of the ball that makes the difference. If nothing else it will be fun to watch.
© Provided by SB Nation Credit where it's due: Both R.J. Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton, both of whom are picking Tampa Bay, had two of the better records among the panel.
When it's all said and done this has been one of the best seasons in recent memory on the field. There were plenty of surprises, breakout performances, and teams finally getting over the hump, proving they can be contenders. There's going to be a major transition in the league moving forward, especially with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers announcing their retirements, but 2020 proved the NFL has so much to give in the future than the next few years are going to be fascinating.
Hopefully next year I'll be a little better with my picks, though.