The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scripted NFL history when they set up a dream home Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. When they take the field on February 8, history will be made, as they will become the first time in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl in their own backyard, at the Raymon James Stadium, Tampa.

43-year-old Tom Brady, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in the history of the sport, led the Buccaneers to a 31-26 victory over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Brady threw for three touchdowns and 280 yards as he booked his berth to an incredible 10th Super Bowl appearance. This comes 19 years after him playing in his first championship game with the New England Patriots in 2002.

The victory represented a stunning vindication of Brady’s decision to leave the Patriots in March last year after a glittering two-decade career in New England that yielded six Super Bowl wins.

“It’s been a long process for the whole team, and today was just a great team effort,” Brady had said post-match.

Brady had helped the Bucs race into a 28-10 lead early in the second half after touchdowns from Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, Scotty Miller and Cameron Brate as the Packers offense failed to fire.

Not only in terms of a trophy, if the Bucs go on to win the tie, but it will also shine a bright new light on the diversity that the team possesses.

At a time when NFL teams have faced accusations of systemic racism for their failure to promote minority coaches to senior coaching roles, the Buccaneers have been a rare beacon of diversity.

The Buccaneers are the only team in the NFL to have Black coaches in all four coordinator roles — offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and assistant head coach Harold Goodwin.

They are also the only team in the NFL to employ two women in full-time coaching positions in the shape of assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coordinator Maral Javadifar.

The Bucs coaching staff is also no bastion of ageism. Among the employees who will be providing input on the sidelines this weekend is the 82-year-old offensive consultant Tom Moore.

Bruce Arians, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and architect of the diverse backroom staff, insists that his hiring policy is simple: picking the best candidate for the job.

But what went right for the Bucs.

It would be safe to assume that the Brady experiment paid yielded results. First-round offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs’ play along with left tackle Donovan Smith delivering when it meant the most on Brady’s blindside. The presence of left guard Ali Marpet and center Ryan Jensen and Aaron Stinnie at right guard. Their offensive line got them the second rank in sacks-allowed-per-pass play regular season at 3.51%.

While their quarterback stood strong, Todd Bowles’ defense was ferocious. He had the sixth-most 25 takeaways (15 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries) and a fifth-most 48 sacks.

As for disruptors, Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Devin White did a commendable job.

If Tampa Bay goes on to win the Super Bowl, Brady, the oldest player to play in a Super Bowl, will receive his seventh championship.