Super Host? Bucs Can Come to be 1st to Play Super Bowl at Dwelling | Sports News

By MARK Extended, AP Professional Soccer Author

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a opportunity to make historical past at Environmentally friendly Bay on Sunday. If they do, it may possibly occur with an asterisk.

No crew has ever played a Super Bowl in its dwelling stadium. Tom Brady and the underdog Bucs (13-5) will try to turn into the initially to do so by successful the NFC championship recreation against the Packers (14-3). The Tremendous Bowl will get position two weeks later at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

It would be some feat for the wild-card Bucs to access the NFL finale following participating in three road playoff games. The prize would be considerably various this 12 months, nevertheless, mainly because the Tremendous Bowl will be played in entrance of a far smaller crowd than common.

Tampa Bay averaged 14,483 lovers for its 8 residence online games in 2020 — about 22% of stadium capability. The NFL is organizing for 20% capacity at the Tremendous Bowl on Feb. 7, according to ESPN. Enthusiasts will be in pods separated by 6 toes, and masks will be necessary in accordance with neighborhood COVID-19 protection protocols.

Capacity at Raymond James Stadium is 65,890, so a small additional than 13,000 followers are anticipated within to complete a time played for the duration of a pandemic. It’s a huge fall from the 75,000 that would have been predicted with supplemental short term bleachers in the close zones.

So if Tampa Bay advances to the major match, it won’t get a important edge by taking part in in entrance of its home group. Technically, it will not even be a sellout, and the activity would set an attendance document for the smallest Super Bowl group.

The 1st Super Bowl in 1967 was played in front of 61,946 lovers at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It’s the only a person that failed to provide out.

In the 53 Super Bowls because, just two groups have performed the match in their house region: the 1984 San Francisco 49ers beat Miami in Super Bowl 19 in Stanford Stadium relatively than Candlestick Park and the 1979 Los Angeles Rams shed Super Bowl 14 to Pittsburgh in the Rose Bowl as an alternative of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Here’s a glance at the other NFL groups that produced the playoffs the season their residence stadiums hosted the Tremendous Bowl and arrived up small:

Coming off the “Minnesota Miracle” at dwelling in opposition to New Orleans — Stefon Diggs hauled in a 61-garden landing move from Situation Keenum on the closing enjoy — the Vikings traveled to Philadelphia for the NFC title match and received shellacked 38-7. Eagles backup Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, a indication of things to appear in the Tremendous Bowl in opposition to New England.

The Texans received the AFC South and ended up the No. 4 seed heading into the AFC playoffs. They defeat Oakland in a wild-card sport but dropped 34-16 the adhering to 7 days on the highway to Brady and New England. It was quarterback Brock Osweiler’s ultimate get started for Houston. Brady went on to get his fifth of 6 championships, this a single in appear-from-powering vogue just after trailing Atlanta 28-3 late in the third quarter.

The Dolphins have been the No. 4 seed in the AFC and defeat division rival Buffalo at household to open up the playoffs. They barely confirmed up the adhering to 7 days in Denver, obtaining smoked 38-3 by a staff that highlighted 4 potential Corridor of Famers: quarterback John Elway, working back again Terrell Davis, restricted conclusion Shannon Sharpe and safety Steve Atwater. An additional Hall of Famer, Dan Marino, threw a pair of interceptions. Elway and the Broncos went on to assert their next straight championship.

The Dolphins have been the No. 3 seed 4 several years previously with the Tremendous Bowl set to be performed at Joe Robbie Stadium. They conquer Kansas Metropolis to open up the playoffs and traveled cross-place to experience San Diego in the divisional spherical. Miami led 21-6 after Marino’s 3rd TD go of the day just in advance of halftime. But it was all Chargers from there. They scored 16 unanswered points in the next 50 percent, including the go-in advance touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. Pete Stoyanovich skipped broad suitable from 48 yards out on Miami’s ultimate play. San Diego went on to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC title game prior to shedding to juggernaut San Francisco in the Super Bowl in Miami.

The Dolphins misplaced to Houston at home in a wild-card match, ending any opportunity they experienced of returning to the Orange Bowl for the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh beat Dallas for its 3rd Vince Lombardi Trophy in 5 several years.

The wild-card Dolphins dropped at Oakland 21-14 in the opening round of the AFC playoffs and finished up seeing Baltimore conquer Dallas in Super Bowl 5 at the famed Orange Bowl in Miami.

Additional AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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