No sport lends itself to narrative quite like American football. The short and direct NFL season means every game is important and, as the season progresses, every play takes on a life of its own. However, even by the league's already lofty standards, this season's finale, Super Bowl LV at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, had the perfect sporting story lined up.

On one side is quarterback Tom Brady. Going into the big game, he had already won a record six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and was aiming for his seventh with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's been in the league since 2000 and, at 43-years-old, is a genuine veteran, a future Hall of Famer and – as many believed – on the verge of retirement.

On the other is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He and his side, the Kansas City Chiefs, won Super Bowl LIV last year and were looking for a repeat, a feat only previous accomplished by Brady at the Patriots in the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons. Mahomes has been with the Chiefs since 2017 and his incredible passing accuracy combined with his deft footwork make him the best quarterback in the league.

This meant the narrative surrounding the game was obvious: Brady was riding off into the sunset with one final Super Bowl and, along the way, would pass the torch to Mahomes, signaling the start of a new era.

The first quarter was scrappy, as Super Bowls often are. The pressure of the big game and the high caliber of opponent mean the opening acts as a feeling out process. The Chiefs defense held Brady to a three-and-out in his opening drive and the Bucs made sure the only person from the Chiefs to score was a field goal by kicker Harrison Butker.

In the final drive of the quarter, Brady finally managed to march down the field and found longstanding receiver and fellow ex-Patriot Rob Gronkowski for the game's first touchdown. From here on out, Brady was writing his own script: he wasn't passing the torch, he was carrying it even further in the NFL history books.

The Bucs had found their gear at the end of the first quarter and this continued into the second where they scored two touchdowns: an eight-yard reception from Gronkowski and a one-yarder to Antonio Brown. The shortness of these throws show just how dominant the Bucs were in moving the chains. Even when the Chiefs did manage to prevent the Bucs from scoring, it came from a scramble on the goal line.

The Chiefs were held again to a single Butker field goal. Worse that their lack of scoring was their profligacy in getting penalties Tyrann Mathieu in particular went from bad to worse by drawing a defensive pass interference foul against Mike Evans and then, once the Bucs turned that into the Brown TD, he got a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct after getting in Brady's face.

The half ended 21-6. When it resumed after the somewhat muted halftime show by The Weeknd, the game felt already over. The way Mathieu and the rest of the Chiefs defense were acting in the second quarter made it seem like they were afraid of the Bucs offense, and Brady and co. played that way. They scored 10 - a 27-yard run from Leonard Fournette and a field goal by Ryan Succop – and never seemed afraid of what the Chiefs could do to them. Brady was only sacked once in the first quarter and was well protected from then on by his offensive line.

If only Mahomes could say the same thing. On the other side of the ball, he was constantly under pressure from the Bucs' front seven. The benefit of his agility is that he can scramble and keep plays alive, but when he finds himself in that position over and over again, it forces him back much further than a QB who would take a sack and keep playing.

Mahomes threw the first of his two interceptions this quarter and provided the most skillful incomplete passes ever. The closest thing he has to a highlight is a precision bullet-pass into the endzone, made while horizontal from being tackled – only for the ball to bounce of the facemask of the intended receiver.

The game entered the fourth quarter 31-9 and that's where it stayed. As the clock wore down, the Bucs knew the game was in hand; they played with less ferocity and looked happier and happier on the sideline. A stark contrast to the Chiefs, Mahomes in particular who looked like a ghost with eight minutes remaining, aware the game was done but knowing he still had to play.

Tom Brady now has seven Super Bowl rings, one more than any other franchise in the league's history combined and is only the second player to win Super Bowls with multiple teams. At this point, it's undeniable: he's the NFL's GOAT.