Antonio Brown ran the wrong route on his touchdown catch
It's hard to decipher whether Lady Luck was with Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the Super Bowl or whether the team is made up of phenomenal players.
Tom Brady had a commanding performance on the day. Rob Gronkowski was hard to suppress. Patrick Mahomes struggled against the Bucs' formidable defense as they coasted through Kansas City with a 22-point lead.
In fact, Tampa Bay were so good that when their wide receiver ran the wrong route, the play was executed for a touchdown.
Quarterback Tom Brady threw a perfect laser from the one-yard line to wide receiver Antonio Brown in the end zone with six seconds left in the first half for a touchdown. But the play was not executed as planned.
According to quarterback coach Clyde Christensen, the wide receiver ran the wrong route.
Christensen spilled the tea during The Pat McAfee Show. Antonio Brown was expected to go in and then come back out. But he did the reverse, going out and then in, and yet he managed to secure a touchdown.
"That's where Brady doesn't get thrown for a loop. He just hits the guy. 'Hey, you get open, I'll hit you.' That's where he's pretty darn unique. A lot of quarterbacks are, 'Hey, he's supposed to do this: A to B to C.' This guy A.B. goes C to F back to A and he just hits him for a touchdown," said Christensen.
Maybe it was Lady Luck or just a testament to the star quality players Tampa have. Not only did Antonio Brown reach safety Tryann Mathieu, but Brady too did not panic and threw to Brown when he was open.
Tom Brady lauds Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown
The 43-year-old never hinted that something had gone awry. After the game, Brady was asked about Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown adding to the victory. Brady praised their efforts.
"Big-time players making big-time plays. Love what they did, what they added to the team. Gronk's an unbelievable player, teammate, talent, work ethic and commitment. And A.B. is just...since he got here, he's just done everything the right way. So impressed by him. Proud of him. It takes a lot of people for us to get to this point. We all have great support systems in place and I think everyone should be celebrating them tonight," said Brady.
While none of the players were directly asked about the touchdown, Antonio Brown was quick to praise his QB.
"It's been a tremendous honor working with Tom, man. He's a legend. He's a winner. He's a good leader. One of the best human beings I know. Even a greater football player. I can't speak enough on him for what he's meant to me, this moment, everything I've been through," an emotional Antonio Brown said in his postgame press conference.