Brady Does It, Best Commercials & NFL Herstory on Cheddar

When Tom Brady announced in the earliest days of the pandemic that he was leaving New England for Tampa Bay — a team that had at that point won a franchise total of six postseason games — the move was greeted with skepticism, to say the least. One strange, harrowing NFL season later, Brady once again has the last laugh. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31-9 on their home turf, cementing Brady, at the age of 43 — the oldest player to ever take the field in a championship game — as the greatest football player of all time. But it wasn’t all his doing. The Bucs defense put on a clinic, dismantling Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at nearly every turn. CBS SPORTS

Here’s the good news: COVID cases and hospitalizations are in freefall across the U.S. For the first time since early November, daily new reported cases are below 100,000. Vaccinations are increasing; 2 million shots were given on Saturday for the first time, and the national daily average is approaching 1.5 million. Dr. Fauci said he expects a lot more supply to start becoming available in March and April. Now the bad news: according to new research, the UK variant is spreading rapidly throughout the country — doubling every 10 days — and is on the way to becoming the most prevalent strain, as the CDC had warned. Meanwhile, South Africa has stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine because it showed “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of the variant emerging there. STAT

Democrats will unveil a proposal today for a major new benefit that is part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic relief bill. The legislation would give families $3,600 for every child under 6 and $3,000 for every child aged 6 to 17. The benefit phases out for couples making $150,000 or single parents making $75,000. There’s significant bipartisan momentum for a new child benefit. On the GOP side, Sen. Mitt Romney has proposed even larger checks, saying it’s the best thing lawmakers can do to make a dent in child poverty. The Dems would pay for the benefit by adding to the deficit, while Romney’s plan calls for eliminating other welfare programs. WASH POST

Tens of thousands of people came out to protest Myanmar’s military regime after a coup that overthrew the elected government last week. Protesters across the country demanded the release of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, borrowing a three-fingered salute from The Hunger Games that’s become a symbol of defiance against the military. NPR

This is shaping up to be an active week of winter weather for most of the country. The Northeast is digging out from its second significant snowfall in a week, and more is expected in the next few days, along with temperatures that will stay below freezing. The Plains and Midwest are seeing their coldest temps of the season with sub-zero lows expected in some places to linger through the workweek. Out west, California will get some much needed rain and mountain snow by Thursday or Friday. FORECAST

The price of Bitcoin rose above $40,000 over the weekend, coming within striking distance of its all-time high of $42,000, set last month. The cryptomania is not specific to $BTC, either. Alt-coins like Ether and Litecoin are at or near records, and Dogecoin shot up nearly 50 percent after endorsements from Snoop Dogg and Gene Simmons of KISS added to Elon Musks’ recent pumping of the coin. COINDESK

A pair of assistant coaches on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made history as the first women to work on a Super Bowl-winning staff. Lori Locust, a defensive line coach, and Maral Javadifar, a strength coach, finished their second season under Bucs head coach Bruce Arians. The Bucs have one of the most diverse staffs of any NFL team, though it’s getting more common to see female coaches on the sidelines. Last year, Katie Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl for the 49ers. Sarah Thomas also became the first woman to ref a Super Bowl. YAHOO SPORTS

An auto insurance company is under fire for making light of workplace harassment. Bruce Springsteen shilled for Jeep in his first-ever commercial, a two-minute reflection on the “Reunited States of America.” Timothée Chalamet appeared as Edward Scissorhands’ son for Cadillac. Reddit even ponied up for a 5-second spot. Here’s the full list of ads from Super Bowl LV: SEE THEM

…Phoebe Bridgers, ending her debut SNL performance with a guitar-smashing flourish: WATCH

What’s better than watching football? How about watching 70 puppies play football. Team Ruff and Team Fluff faced off in the 17th annual Puppy Bowl for the Lombarky Trophy. Team Ruff won, but the highlight came in the fourth quarter when Jett, a two-legged lab in a custom wheeled-cart, scored a touchdown in his debut for Team Fluff: WATCH