Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV to prove Madden wrong
![TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/749011c3f0a95f58a5988c29af04192f80b5cf4cc329b099df9b31a2aca0d555.jpg)
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are World Champions. By defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in a one-sided affair, Tom Brady earned his seventh Super Bowl ring (in 10 appearances), while the Buccaneers won its second title (and first since 2003). More importantly, the Buccaneers proved Madden wrong.
Earlier this week, EA shared its prediction of Super Bowl LV using a simulation of Madden 21. While the Madden franchise has been pretty accurate in predicting past Super Bowl winners (going 11-6 since 2004), the game was wrong this year.
EA’s Madden 21 simulation predicted a 37-27 win for the Kansas City Chiefs with quarterback Patrick Mahomes winning his second straight MVP award. The real-world results could not have been more opposite.
The Buccaneers cruised to a 31-9 win over the Chiefs. And it was Tom Brady who took home MVP honors.
Here were the Madden predictions versus the actual results of Super Bowl LV:
Madden 21 stats prediction
- Kansas City Chiefs 37, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
- Patrick Mahomes: 422 yards, 4 touchdowns
- Tom Brady: 322 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
- The game also predicted 2 touchdowns to Tyreek Hill and a touchdown to Travis Kelce, as well as a rushing touchdown by Patrick Mahomes
Super Bowl LV real stats
- Kansas City Chiefs 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31
- Patrick Mahomes: 270 yards, 2 interceptions
- Tom Brady: 201 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Leonard Fournette: 89 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
- Rob Gronkowski: 67 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Antonio Brown: 22 yards, 1 touchdown
- Travis Kelce: 133 receiving yards
- Tyreek Hill: 73 receiving yards
As you can see, the real-life results played out much differently than what Madden predicted.
Interestingly, however, the results of Super Bowl LV were actually much closer to our own Madden simulation conducted by App Trigger. In our simulation of Super Bowl LV, Madden predicted the Buccaneers to win by a blowout, 45-17.
Our simulation also predicted Brady to throw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns. It predicted Fournette to score two rushing touchdowns, Gronkowski to score 1 touchdown on 106 receiving yards, and Antonio Brown to also score a touchdown on 46 receiving yards. So the statline was much closer.
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Our simulation even predicted a much more pedestrian game from Mahomes (245 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int.) and Tyreek Hill (5 rec., 38 yards).
Like many others, I dismissed these results. I just couldn’t envision a game in which the Buccaneers would blow out the Chiefs. I never thought Mahomes and Hill would look so average.
So while EA’s Madden 21 simulation of Super Bowl LV will go down in the official records as being wrong, I have to hand it to the game for correctly predicting the results with very close accuracy.
With the results of Super Bowl LV in the books, Madden is now 11-7 in its Super Bowl predictions since 2004.