Brady could be Tampa’s X factor

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be denied.

The 43-year-old six-time Super Bowl champion may no longer be the best quarterback in the NFL, however, he’s shown in his first season with the Bucs that he’s still good enough to lead a team to the NFL title game.

And the way Tampa Bay’s defence has played since Patrick Mahomes manhandled it in Week 12 of the regular season gives the NFC champions confidence that Sunday’s rematch with the defending Super Bowl winners will be different.

Brady and the Bucs haven’t lost since falling to the Chiefs 27-24 on Nov. 29, rattling off seven consecutive wins on the way to the franchise’s first appearance on football’s biggest stage in 18 years.

This is exactly what general manager Jason Licht and coach Bruce Arians had in mind when — coming off a 7-9 finish and hoping to end a 12-season hiatus from the playoffs — they signed the former New England Patriots star to a two-year, $50 million contract in free agency.

“Naturally, I think you envision it every year in the off-season. You want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl. I think when you sign a guy like Tom, it makes it a little more realistic,” Licht said.