As the NFL season winds down, only two teams remain. After an eventful season which included several quarterback controversies, a defensive coordinator being raided by the FBI,
multiple midseason coach firings and a wave of controversy brought about by world-renowned pop star Taylor Swift, the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs are ready to face the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Nevada. Before I preview the big game, I think it would be prudent to give a bit of a recap on how both of these teams ended up here.
For the 49ers, this season has been one of complete and total dominion over the NFC. From starting the season undefeated through week 5 to losing 3 games consecutively, to then rallying to clinch the one seed in the NFC, this season has been eventful, to say the least. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has masterminded an offense that was averaging an impressive 28.9 points per game during the regular season, enough for second-best in the league. While much of the credit should go to head coach Shanahan, as much if not more credit should go to the loaded offense that the 49ers have, which includes 5 starting pro bowlers in tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, quarterback Brock “Mr. Irrelevant” Purdy, and the star of the show, running back Christian McCaffrey, who put up an absurd 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns. For reference, a 1,000-yard season is generally considered to be the standard for a good season from a running back. This goes without mentioning the other 13 Pro Bowl alternates on the roster. Because of this offense, the 49ers were able to storm back from being down 24-7 against the Detroit Lions at halftime. It’s important to mention the other half of this team’s success, the defense. Every part of this team’s defense, from the defensive backs to the d-line to the linebackers is loaded with talent. In fact, the 49ers’ defense has more starting pro bowlers than the offense, with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Charvarius Ward and Fred Warner having impressive seasons. Even without the acquisition of star D-Lineman Chase Young, who has had trouble adjusting to playing in the Bay Area, the 49ers are a well-oiled machine on defense, who on average let up the second-lowest amount of points per game this season.
For the Chiefs, it’s been the opposite story. Coming off the back of their victory in Super Bowl ⅬⅦ against the Eagles, this season has at times been a struggle for the reigning NFL champions. Starting off the season in a surprise loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football which saw Chiefs receivers drop 5 passes in a shockingly uncharacteristic display. This issue of dropped passes would continue to haunt the Chiefs all year long as their receiver corps let them down repeatedly throughout this season. Yet, this is where prior experience and success come in handy, as the Chiefs were able to rally and secure the third seed in the AFC. The Chiefs then went on to defeat the rudderless Miami Dolphins in a display of defensive dominance before heading to Buffalo to play their first road playoff game as a team in the Patrick Mahomes era. Despite a heroic display from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a missed field goal from kicker Tyler Bass allowed the Chiefs to advance to the AFC Championship game where they would take advantage of a series of miscues from the Ravens to make it back to the Super Bowl with a 17-10 victory in Baltimore. In spite of having no true star receiver ever since Tyreek Hill left for the sunny beaches of Miami two seasons ago, Mahomes still has his favorite target, Travis Kelce, who has had an unreal postseason, which saw him surpass Hall of Famer and consensus greatest wide receiver of all time Jerry Rice in postseason receptions.
Personally, I can say that I myself will not be looking forward to this year’s Super Bowl, and much of the country feels the same way. If you take a look at Twitter or Instagram or most social media platforms you’ll see a general sense of apathy towards this Super Bowl, as many feel cheated in having to see either the Chiefs become repeat Super Bowl winners, being the first team since the Patriots followed their 2004 victory in the super bowl with a victory the following year in 2005, or we as a nation will be forced to see the 49ers hoist the Lombardi trophy for the sixth time in franchise history, becoming the third ever team to do so and tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as the team with the most super bowl victories of all time. I especially feel bad for Raiders fans who have to see their two most hated rivals play the Super Bowl at their home stadium as if moving from Oakland to Vegas wasn’t bad enough. With that being said expect the Super Bowl to be an incredible display of offense, with both Mahomes and Purdy throwing dimes across the field all night. As for defense, with how dominant the 49ers have been on that side of the ball and how lacking the Chiefs are in star power outside of Kelce, don’t be surprised if Mahomes may initially struggle, maybe even getting picked off once or twice. This game, which has all the makings of a classic, begins at 6:30 PM Eastern Time on Sunday the 11th.
