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A16 sports
Thursday 21 January 2021
Super Host? Bucs can become 1st to play Super Bowl at home

By MARK LONG home to open the playoffs.
AP Pro Football Writer They barely showed up
The Tampa Bay Bucca- the following week in Den-
neers have a chance to ver, getting smoked 38-3
make history at Green Bay by a team that featured
on Sunday. If they do, it four future Hall of Famers:
might come with an aster- quarterback John Elway,
isk. running back Terrell Davis,
No team has ever played tight end Shannon Sharpe
a Super Bowl in its home and safety Steve Atwater.
stadium. Tom Brady and Another Hall of Famer, Dan
the underdog Bucs (13-5) Marino, threw a pair of in-
will try to become the first terceptions. Elway and the
to do so by winning the Broncos went on to claim
NFC championship game their second straight cham-
against the Packers (14-3). pionship.
The Super Bowl will take — Miami, 1994
place two weeks later at The Dolphins were the No. 3
Raymond James Stadium seed four years earlier with
in Tampa, Florida. the Super Bowl set to be
It would be some feat for played at Joe Robbie Sta-
the wild-card Bucs to reach dium. They beat Kansas City
the NFL finale after playing to open the playoffs and
three road playoff games. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls a play at the line of scrimmage against traveled cross-country to
The prize would be much the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, face San Diego in the divi-
different this year, though, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in New Orleans. Associated Press sional round. Miami led 21-6
because the Super Bowl will after Marino’s third TD pass
be played in front of a far zones. Los Angeles Rams lost Su- a sign of things to come of the day just before half-
smaller crowd than usual. So if Tampa Bay advances per Bowl 14 to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl against time. But it was all Chargers
Tampa Bay averaged to the big game, it won’t in the Rose Bowl instead of New England. from there. They scored 16
14,483 fans for its eight gain a significant advan- the Los Angeles Memorial — Houston, 2016 unanswered points in the
home games in 2020 — tage by playing in front of Coliseum. The Texans won the AFC second half, including the
about 22% of stadium ca- its home crowd. Technical- Here’s a look at the other South and were the No. 4 go-ahead touchdown with
pacity. The NFL is planning ly, it won’t even be a sell- NFL teams that made the seed heading into the AFC 35 seconds remaining. Pete
for 20% capacity at the Su- out, and the game would playoffs the season their playoffs. They beat Oak- Stoyanovich missed wide
per Bowl on Feb. 7, accord- set an attendance record home stadiums hosted the land in a wild-card game right from 48 yards out on
ing to ESPN. Fans will be in for the smallest Super Bowl Super Bowl and came up but lost 34-16 the following Miami’s final play. San Di-
pods separated by 6 feet, crowd. short: week on the road to Brady ego went on to beat Pitts-
and masks will be required The first Super Bowl in 1967 — Minnesota, 2017 and New England. It was burgh in the AFC title game
in accordance with local was played in front of Coming off the “Minnesota quarterback Brock Oswei- before losing to juggernaut
COVID-19 safety protocols. 61,946 fans at the Los An- Miracle” at home against ler’s final start for Houston. San Francisco in the Super
Capacity at Raymond geles Coliseum. It’s the only New Orleans — Stefon Brady went on to win his Bowl in Miami.
James Stadium is 65,890, one that didn’t sell out. Diggs hauled in a 61-yard fifth of six championships, — Miami, 1978
so a little more than 13,000 In the 53 Super Bowls since, touchdown pass from Case this one in come-from-be- The Dolphins lost to Hous-
fans are expected inside to just two teams have played Keenum on the final play — hind fashion after trailing ton at home in a wild-card
finish a season played dur- the game in their home re- the Vikings traveled to Phil- Atlanta 28-3 late in the third game, ending any chance
ing a pandemic. It’s a huge gion: the 1984 San Fran- adelphia for the NFC title quarter. they had of returning to the
drop from the 75,000 that cisco 49ers beat Miami in game and got shellacked — Miami, 1998 Orange Bowl for the Super
would have been expect- Super Bowl 19 in Stanford 38-7. Eagles backup Nick The Dolphins were the No. Bowl. Pittsburgh beat Dallas
ed with additional tempo- Stadium rather than Can- Foles threw for 352 yards 4 seed in the AFC and for its third Vince Lombardi
rary bleachers in the end dlestick Park; and the 1979 and three touchdowns, beat division rival Buffalo at Trophy in five years.q
Chiefs’ Mahomes practices, remains in concussion protocol

By DAVE SKRETTA Andy Reid said that fit per- third quarter of last Sun-
AP Sports Writer fectly with what Mahomes day’s 22-17 victory over the
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — was able to do. Cleveland Browns. Chad
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Reid didn’t say what phase Henne finished the game
Mahomes remains in the of the five-step process Ma- and would be the starter
NFL’s concussion protocol, homes is in to be cleared if Mahomes was unable to
but practiced in a limited to play, but the work he play against the Bills.q
capacity on Wednesday, described his quarterback
raising hopes that the doing coincides with the
reigning Super Bowl MVP fourth step. That involves a
can play in Sunday’s AFC player resuming non-con-
title game against Buffalo. tact football activities, such
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is helped The Chiefs typically breeze as throwing and running,
off the field by teammate Mike Remmers, right, after getting through practice on and is the final step before
injured during the second half of an NFL divisional round football Wednesday with little con- a player is deemed ready
game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in
Kansas City. tact before ramping things to go.
Associated Press up on Thursday, and coach Mahomes was hurt in the facebook.com/arubatoday/