Storylines to keep an eye on for Super Bowl LV

No offensive mind in football is more creative than Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. He seems to hold plays back for big moments, as he did going into last year's Super Bowl. There's no telling what tricks Big Red will have up his sleeve this year.

Just a few years ago, the debate for the best tight end in the NFL was between Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce. There's no longer a debate in the current era with the streak of consistency and dominance that we've seen from Kelce in recent years, while Gronkowski is still finding himself after a year off, but the matchup between the two greats is still a treat for NFL fans.

Arians wasn't hired as an NFL head coach until age 60, and he's led his team to the Super Bowl in his seventh year as a head coach at age 68. His time as a head coach has been relatively brief, but there's no doubt Arians has been one of the best to do it in recent seasons.

The Chiefs already had injury issues on the offensive line when they lost left tackle Eric Fisher to a torn Achilles in the AFC Championship. The offensive line shuffling will continue, with Mike Remmers shifting to the left side and Andrew Wylie moving from guard to right tackle. While KC's offensive line has continued to perform well despite injuries, they face a huge challenge in Tampa Bay's defensive front.

The great play of Kansas City's defensive backs has been a huge story in the playoffs, with the secondary dominating in their first two games. Safeties Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorensen, and Juan Thornhill have regularly made huge plays, while rookie L'Jarius Sneed has a sack in four consecutive games as a cornerback. The Bucs have elite receiver talent, but the Chiefs have the depth to match up well.

The NFL has needed to adjust to COVID-19 all year, and the Super Bowl is no exception. The game will have limited capacity, and the Chiefs won't go to Tampa Bay until the weekend of the game instead of staying for all of media week. The impacts of the adjustments remain to be seen.

The kickers on both sides have had excellent seasons and could play a key role in a game with a small Vegas spread. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker got back on track last week after missing two kicks in the Divisional Round, and he made 25-of-27 field-goal attempts during the regular season. Bucs kicker Ryan Succop is a former Chief and made 28-of-31 field-goal attempts during the season.

Both teams have multiple capable running backs, and it remains to be seen if one particular back will be featured on either side. The Chiefs have leaned on Darrel Williams in the playoffs with Clyde Edwards-Helaire recouping from injury, but Edwards-Helaire could pick up more work with another two weeks of rest. Leonard Fournette has also seen a lot more work than usual for Tampa Bay with Ronald Jones returning from an injury of his own, but Jones was the bell cow for most of the regular season.

This is the first Super Bowl out of 55 in which there will be a legitimate home team, with the Bucs getting to play at Raymond James Stadium. Of course, home-field advantage hasn't been as significant this year with limited crowds, and it remains to be seen how much of the crowd will actually be Buccaneers fans.

The Patriots have been the NFL dynasty of the last 20 years, but the Chiefs have a chance to stake their claim with back-to-back Super Bowl victories on the shoulders of 25-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With former Pats Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski on the other side of the ball, it would be an appropriate handoff.

Mahomes suffered concussion symptoms and turf toe in the Divisional Round against Cleveland, but neither seemed to impact him in a dominating win over Buffalo in the AFC Championship. The toe is unlikely to be an issue based on how Mahomes looked, but it's still something to keep in mind.

Both teams have multiple major contributors set to return from injury in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs are set to get wide receiver Sammy Watkins back from a calf injury while running back Le'Veon Bell (knee) and linebacker Willie Gay (ankle) could also return. The Bucs have top wideout Antonio Brown and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on the field after missing the NFC Championship.

Both teams have former superstars entering the ends of their careers with a chance to go out on top. Le'Veon Bell has seen his contribution dwindle this year between the Jets and Chiefs, so it remains to be seen if he will return next year. On Tampa Bay's side, Rob Gronkowski could decide to retire for a second time, and backup running back LeSean McCoy is also nearing the end of his career.

Tom Brady's NFL success is unprecedented, now appearing in his 10th Super Bowl and with six championships under his belt. A seventh win would just be more icing on the cake for the most successful NFL player in history.

The coordinators are a big story in the game. On KC's said, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy continues to be the most often mentioned coordinator in the game to still not get a head coaching job, while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has won three Super Bowls as a coordinator between the Giants and Chiefs. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is also an up-and-comer with a shot to be a head coach soon, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles coach get another chance at some point with how he's led Tampa Bay's defense after a stint at the helm with the New York Jets.

Hill's performance in KC's Week 12 win over Tampa Bay could be remembered for years to come. The Cheetah finished the game with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns, accumulating 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. Tampa Bay needs to find a better answer to stop Hill, or they will be in for a long night.

Every Super Bowl has unexpected heroes who rise to the occasion. Both teams have their fair share of candidates, and already during the playoffs, we've seen unexpected players like Chad Henne, Daniel Sorensen, and Scotty Miller come up big.

The matchup of quarterbacks between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady couldn't be more exciting. Mahomes has been arguably the league's best player since he took the Chiefs starting role in 2018, while Brady continues to play at a high level as the greatest of all time at age 43. The quarterbacks have a 2-2 record in head-to-head matchups, with Mahomes getting the better of Brady in the last two games (2019 at New England and 2020 at Tampa Bay).