Super Bowl LV: Position-by-position breakdown

Tom Brady's long history of greatness is unmatched, but no quarterback is doing it better than Mahomes these days. He won league MVP in 2018, Super Bowl MVP in 2019, and has a shot at both awards this year. Mahomes threw for 4,740 yards and 38 touchdowns during the regular season, and he's coming off arguably his best game of the year in the AFC Championship.

Edwards-Helaire returned last week after missing three games with hip and ankle injuries, and he saw limited work. That's likely to change in the Super Bowl for the versatile rookie who had 1,100 yards from scrimmage in 13 regular-season games. Darrel Williams and Le'Veon Bell also complement Edwards-Helaire well. Tampa Bay also has a solid tandem with Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette, the latter of which has scored a touchdown in all three playoff games for the Bucs.

Bucs No. 1 wideout Mike Evans is a superstar who just completed his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season, but Hill's unique talent completely alters defenses. The speedster had 17 touchdowns during the regular season to go along with 1,399 yards from scrimmage.

Godwin hasn't seen as many opportunities after a breakout 2019 season, but he still had 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. The Chiefs hope to have No. 2 wideout Sammy Watkins back for the Super Bowl, who has been out the last several weeks due to a calf injury.

Brown is a former Madden cover boy whose star has faded due to off-field troubles. He still has 483 yards and four touchdowns in eight regular-season games and is likely to return from a knee injury in the Super Bowl. Mecole Hardman was inconsistent in his sophomore season for the Chiefs but does have game-breaking speed.

Kelce is the top tight end in the NFL, with a record-breaking 1,416 yards receiving in 2020. He's also scored at least one touchdown in six consecutive games, with two scores in the AFC Championship. Tampa Bay's Rob Gronkowski is a future Hall of Famer himself, though he wasn't on his usual pace in 2020 after coming out of retirement.

Smith is a reliable six-year starter at tackle for the Bucs. The Chiefs are scrambling at left tackle, with Mike Remmers likely to take the spot after starter Eric Fisher suffered a torn Achilles in the AFC Championship.

Marpet is arguably the Bucs' best offensive lineman and had another strong year in 2020 despite missing time to injury. 2019 seventh-round pick Nick Allegretti was inserted into the lineup early in the year and has been a pleasant surprise as a mauling run blocker for the Chiefs.

Jensen has started every game for the Bucs since 2018, making the most of a big four-year contract he received after his time in Baltimore. Austin Reiter is set to start his second consecutive Super Bowl for the Chiefs and has gotten back into form after knee issues earlier in the year.

Both teams are scuffling at right guard heading into the Super Bowl. Wisniewski started last year's Super Bowl for the Chiefs but left for Pittsburgh in the offseason. After an injury, he was released by the Steelers and claimed by KC, and is back in the lineup due to Eric Fisher's injury. Aaron Stinnie got his second career start for Tampa Bay last week.

Wirfs has had a fine rookie season after he was selected in the first round of the draft. The Chiefs regularly have an All-Pro at right tackle in Mitchell Schwartz, but he's missed most of the season due to a back injury. With Fisher's injury, regular right guard Andrew Wylie will likely shift over to right tackle, which creates a reason for Chiefs fans to be anxious.

Suh has moved from defensive tackle to defensive end in the Bucs 3-4 defense, but he's regularly on the interior. A former high-priced star, Suh still had six sacks in 2020. Chiefs defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon is reliable but didn't get his name on the stats sheet very often this season.

Jones is one of the top interior pass rushers in football and was paid accordingly last offseason. He made his second consecutive Pro Bowl after recording 7.5 sacks. Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea does a great job plugging the run and returned from injury last week.

Clark hasn't made as much noise, as usual, this season, recording only six sacks during the regular season, but he had two sacks in the AFC Championship. William Gholston is a solid complimentary contributor at defensive end for the Bucs with three sacks in the regular season.

Pierre-Paul was an elite 4-3 defensive end who has taken a liking to the Todd Bowles 3-4 defense. The former Giant had 9.5 sacks in the regular season and found the quarterback twice in the NFC Championship.

White became a superstar in his second NFL season, with 140 tackles and nine sacks. Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens has found more comfort in the switch back to the 4-3 last season, and had 78 tackles during the regular season.

The versatile David has become a mainstay in Tampa Bay, playing there since 2012. The former All-Pro had 117 tackles during the regular season. Damien Wilson is a versatile linebacker for the Chiefs and is back after missing time due to injury late in the year.

Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks last season. He's come back down to Earth this year with only eight sacks but has still shown he's a legit game-changer after serving as a role player in Denver.

Davis had a breakout third season with four interceptions, though he did get burned at times in 2020, particularly against Tyreek Hill earlier in the year. Chiefs corner Charvarius Ward is also in his third year and has been solid in coverage.

Mathieu is on the shortlist as one of the best safeties in the game, with the ability to do just about anything for his defense. Bucs rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. could have a similar future ahead and has a good chance to win Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 94 tackles and three sacks this season.

Sorensen seems to make the big play whenever the Chiefs need it, as he did in the Divisional Round by forcing a fumble at the goal line against the Browns. Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead has become a solid pro in his own right, recording 74 tackles, two picks, and two sacks this season.

Breeland is extremely reliable for the Chiefs in coverage and the run game and has been a regular NFL starter since 2014. Jamel Dean got more work during the second half of the season for Tampa Bay, recording 62 sacks and a pick-six in the regular season.

Sneed has become KC's secret weapon this year, making big plays when they've needed them. He has a sack in four consecutive games and also recorded three interceptions in only nine regular-season games. Sean Murphy-Bunting has impressed the Bucs in his first two seasons, though he hasn't produced many game-changing plays.

While Mecole Hardman got most of the work as the kick returner early in the year for the Chiefs, Byron Pringle has seen additional time after scoring a touchdown against Denver. Jaydon Mickens emerged with Tampa this year, with seven kick returns.

Hardman had one punt return touchdown this year, though he's had trouble handling the ball recently with a fumble in Week 17 and muffed punt in the AFC Championship. Jaydon Mickens has only five punt return attempts for the Bucs this season.

Butker is known as one of the NFL's best kickers, making over 90% of his field-goal attempts in four seasons. Ryan Succop is coming off one of the best years of his career in his first with Tampa, making 28-of-31 field goal attempts. He's converted 83% for his career.

Townsend has been a nice find as a rookie for the Chiefs, replacing long-time punter Dustin Colquitt. He averaged 45.0 yards per punt this season and did a fine job pinning opponents. Bradley Pinion handles both punts and kickoffs for the Bucs, and had arguably his best year as a punter in 2020, averaging 45.2 yards per punt.