Super Bowl LV Recap: From Brady and the Bucs’ Big Win to Jon Hein’s Losing Bets

The 2020 N.F.L. season concluded Sunday evening with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating reigning champs the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV – Brady’s seventh win and the franchise’s second. Howard and co-host Robin Quivers took time Monday to break down the game, some of the evening’s standout commercials, and Jon Hein’s betting results.

“I was so rooting for Tom Brady because to me, it is the greatest story ever and I related to it in some ways,” Howard  said of the past Stern Show guest, before likening former coach Bill Belichick getting much of the credit for Brady’s success to his own experiences with radio management earlier in his career. “I know that feeling.”

For Howard, the highlights of the game mostly happened off the field, admitting his favorite part was the time leading up to the kickoff. “Mostly because of that deep-voice announcer – he makes me laugh every time he talks,” he said of Alan Roach, who called into the show in 2019 to display his vocal abilities. “That guy’s just so good … guys like him are the reason that I almost didn’t go into radio.”

“There’s one announcement he made and I was like, ‘Look at him showing off,’” Robin remarked of Roach’s talent for stretching out certain words. “I wonder if he falls into a chair after he does one of those things because he sounds so effortful.”

Equally impressive was the rendition of “America the Beautiful” by recording artist H.E.R. “I thought she was the real deal because she plays guitar, she sings … and she has a really interesting style … I like her every time I see her,” Howard, who previously praised her 2020 “Saturday Night Live” appearance, noted.

Receiving less praise was Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan’s take on the “Star Spangled Banner” but only because the elongated version cost Stern Show staffer Jon Hein quite a bit of money. “Three notes,” he recalled of how long it took before he knew they’d go over his prediction of the national anthem’s running time. “The second he started playing the guitar that slowly, just burn the money – it’s gone.”

When it came to commercials, which for many are the highlight of the event, Howard and Robin were divided. “I thought the best commercial of the night was the one with Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, and the country guy, Blake Shelton,” Howard said of the T-Mobile commercial which offered a fictionalized version of how Stefani and Shelton became romantically involved. “It was funny.”

“Clever idea but I loved watching John Travolta dancing with his daughter,” Robin noted of the Miracle-Gro advertisement featuring the actor. “Oh my goodness, he can dance.”

One person whose opinion was notably missing was staffer and Kansas City Chiefs fanatic Richard Christy, who is out on paternity leave. “I’m sure Richard is depressed today,” Robin guessed.