Super Bowl 55: Start time in Australia, how to watch, everything you need to know

Tom Brady can add another chapter to his legacy as the greatest of all time but he’s being hunted by the heir apparent this Super Bowl.

It's a battle of the quarterbacks.

It’s a battle of the quarterbacks in Super Bowl 55 as Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are gunning for two championships in as many years.

News.com.au spoke with the second Australian to ever play in the NFL, Colin Scotts, to answer everything you need to know about the biggest show in American sport.

WHEN IS IT AND HOW CAN I WATCH?

The big game is scheduled to kick off at 10.30am AEDT on Monday February 8. Around different time zones in Australia, that follows as:

Brisbane — 9.30am

Adelaide — 10am

Perth — 7.30am

Darwin — 9am

You can catch the Super Bowl live on ESPN, available to watch on Foxtel and stream on Kayo — with live pre-game coverage on Kayo starting from 9am.

Watch Super Bowl LV: Chiefs v Buccaneers LIVE with ESPN on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Alternatively, you can watch on free-to-air TV with Channel 7.

I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NFL, WHY SHOULD I TUNE IN?

As Scotts says, there’s no show like the Super Bowl — and what happens on the field is only part of the attraction.

The rules can be tough to follow, but that shouldn’t stop you from calling in sick to work on Monday to catch the action.

“Just watch the size of the guys, watch the collisions. Watch the quarterbacks and how smart they are,” Scotts says.

“Just enjoy that it is an armoured chess, it’s a chess game. Appreciate each player is scientifically designed.

“No one puts a show on like America. There’s a lot going on. The whole gig, the halftime show is special … just enjoy the spectacle and appreciate you’re seeing the biggest, fastest, strongest, most intelligent athletes in the world.”

There’s more to the Super Bowl than football. The halftime entertainment alone is worthy of its own billing.

WHAT’S UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS YEAR’S DECIDER?

The game is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, making it the first time in NFL history the Super Bowl will take place at one of the team’s home grounds.

The arena won’t be packed because of COVID-19 restrictions, but Scotts believes home crowd support could play a decisive role.

“Amazing, it’s unbelievable actually,” Scotts says of the historic occasion.

“Because you have the whole world and the whole US coming to Super Bowls, 99 per cent of them (spectators) aren’t really going for a team, they’re just turning up for an event.

“It will help Tampa Bay … seeing this 10,000 or so crowd yelling and screaming for them will be a definite benefit and unique.

“It’s a definite advantage.”

WHAT MUST THE BUCCANEERS DO TO WIN?

Scotts liked what he saw from the Bucs as they demolished Green Bay in the NFC Championship game a fortnight ago, and says they need more of the same against the Chiefs.

“They need to do what they did two weeks ago. Brady needs to make third and down,” Scotts says. “For that to happen and for him to be helped, his running back Leonard Fournette has to get 3-5 yards on the running play on first down.

“They have to run the ball first and get yardage.

“Against the Packers, Brady was able to continually get that third down.

“They’ve got the No. 1 defence in the NFL and defences do win Super Bowls. They’ve got to contain Mahomes, they’ve got to contain Mahomes and put pressure on him. He’s just a freak.”

‘OFF THE CHARTS’: WHY WILL THE CHIEFS WIN?

Quarterback Mahomes is obviously key, but the Chiefs have plenty of other attacking weapons who will make Tampa Bay nervous.

“Tyreek Hill, the wide receiver, is only 178cm tall but he’s fastest guy in the NFL. Speed kills, no one can keep up with him,” Scotts says.

“And also Travis Kelce, who’s the tight end but also in my mind a wide receiver. He will go down as the greatest tight end. They guy is absolutely off the charts.

“Mahomes has just got to do what he always does. He has an amazing X-factor. He’s a running back in himself, he’s so quick, he can run the ball better than most running backs, so that adds a whole new dimension.

“I believe it will come down to the last few minutes and because of his athleticism … he’s so elusive, he will be the key.”

On the defensive end, it’s all about keeping Brady quiet.

“They’ve got to pressure Brady, get to him and play great defence,” Scotts says.

Travis Kelce is key for the Chiefs.

ALL ABOUT THE BATTLE OF THE QUARTERBACKS

At 43, Buccaneers quarterback Brady is defying father time and proved the doubters wrong by guiding Tampa Bay to the Super Bowl in his first season since leaving the New England Patriots — where he had spent his entire professional career before last year.

He’s aiming for a seventh championship ring but in his way is Chiefs play-caller Mahomes, 25, who has already cemented himself as heir apparent to Brady.

The young gun guided Kansas City to Super Bowl glory last season and was rewarded with a staggering $721 million, 10-year deal — at the time the richest contract in sports history.

A Chiefs victory would represent a changing of the guard, “the old taking over the new”, as Scotts says.

“Just to think Brady’s going for his seventh (Super Bowl win) out of 10 attempts is mind-blowing. We are looking at the greatest quarterback in history,” he says.

“Brady is the present but he’s also the past and the best thing about this is he’s up against the quarterback who has capability to be as good or even better. Mahomes is the future and exciting to watch.

“Taking the biggest losing organisation back to the Super Bowl after everybody said he (Brady) only won because he had that Patriots machine behind him — that’s why he’s successful.

“Full credit, we are seeing the end of the greatest quarterback in history. Enjoy it.

“We are looking at the present and the future in Mahomes. He’s true, humble, a great role model, a great leader, players want to kill for him … he has no fear and players respond to that.

“Same goes for Brady as well and if you ever want to be a great leader in life look at these quarterbacks. They lead by example, they’re humble, they make everybody feel important.

“One hundred per cent it’s the changing of the guard and it’s exciting.”

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT ON GAME DAY?

“It’ll be a high-scoring game. You’re going to see the greatest quarterback going with the next greatest … I just truly believe that it’ll be an electric Super Bowl,” Scotts says.

“What I expect, it’s going to be a close game, a high-scoring game, a very entertaining game. The stage is set for one of the greatest Super Bowls in history.

“There’s such a thing as momentum and Tom Brady has this massive momentum … if you ever believe in momentum you’ve got to look at it now with Brady.

“Brady, what he did two weeks ago beating (Packers quarterback Aaron) Rodgers, beating (Drew) Brees with the (New Orleans) Saints, so he’s beaten two Hall of Fame quarterbacks … he’s in the best form possibly of his whole life. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Tampa could pull it off.”

The old.

And the new.

LIVE pre-game coverage on Kayo Sports starting with a pre-show from 9.00am AEDT, and kick off at 10.00am

Watch Super Bowl LV Live on ESPN, channel available to watch on Foxtel and stream on Kayo