Super Bowl LIV is right around the corner and we have the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Believe it or not, it is the Chief’s first Super Bowl appearance since 1969! Both teams are outstanding and have proven that they belong in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were able to come back from a 24-0 deficit at the beginning of the 2nd quarter of the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans and followed that by their destruction of the Tennessee Titans, who had just knocked off the defending Super Bowl Champs two weeks before and the AFC’s #1 team the previous week. The San Francisco 49ers took down the Minnesota Vikings in a close game in the first half, but didn’t allow them to score any points in the second half, making the final score 27-10. They also beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship with a hefty win of 37-20. Both teams are real threats to each other and won’t let the other win easily, making the game potentially one of the greatest Super Bowl matchups in the history of the NFL, but we are all asking the same question; Who is going to win the Super Bowl? The Chiefs will. Here’s why.
The Kansas City Chiefs are an outstanding team, specifically their offense. They are capable of dropping 28 points in one quarter. In ONE quarter. Obviously, they can easily overcome any deficit as they proved that against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round. Patrick Mahomes is an absolute beast that is almost impossible to stop, and I don’t think the 49ers defense will be able to stop him or the receiving core. As of late, Mahomes has been running the ball a little bit more than usual, but he’s making it work as he is able to pick up the first down on almost every time he takes it himself. The passing game Andy Reid has coached the team for is phenomenal with Mahomes and his receivers. Mahomes put up over 5,000 passing yards and 50+ touchdowns, leading him to an MVP last season. This young man is capable of so much when it comes to playing the QB position, as he is very accurate and almost never lets his receivers down. KC is on an impressive 8-game win streak, having their last loss to the Titans in a late game situation, yet they owned them in the AFC Championship. They will be hard for the 49ers to stop and will make for interesting plays on the field. On the other side of the field, we have someone not quite as special as Mahomes; Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy Garoppolo is not “responsible” for the 49ers success this year. If you look at it, the run game is why the 49ers are in the Super Bowl, where they have a rotation of 3-4 RBs. They are Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson Jr. All of these RBs are definitely the reason for their success this year. They have put up outstanding rushing yards together this year, as well as rushing TDs. Here’s a look at what these RBs have done. Just those four guys in the regular season, put up a total of 2,044 rushing yards and 19 TDs. This rushing core is strong and will not make it easy for KC to defend. However, the 49ers are very one-dimensional and running it play after play after play isn’t going to win a title. If they are going to win it all, they are going to have to mix it up a little bit. Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t even have 4,000 passing yards for the regular season and only has 27 TDs. This is the QB that’s going to lead them to a title? Most likely not. As I previously stated, the run game is essential to this 49ers offense and without it, they’d be an 8-8 or 9-7 team. On the other side of the equation we have the NFL’s best defense on the 49ers. Will the two defenses be a big role in the big game? Let’s take a look into to the defensive side of the game.
The Chiefs have definitely had a better defense this year than what they normally bring in. Chris Jones has made a big impact for this defense and he is active for the Super Bowl, so no big problems defensively for KC. They have allowed 32% of 3rd down attempts by offenses converted. That means 68% of the time, it goes to 4th down which usually means they get the ball back. So about 1 every 3 3rd downs (Statistically), an offense will convert to 1st down. Will the 49ers be able to execute against a defense like this? Possibly so, but they will have to utilize the passing game more than usual. Now lets take a look at the 49ers defense. Statistically, the 49ers have the best defense in the league and that will by far be KC’s biggest challenge in the Super Bowl. They allow only 252.5 YPG and 15 PPG. They might be able to hold back the Chiefs from scoring as much as they usually are able to pull in. This may very well be a low scoring, defensive game just like Super Bowl LIII. They allow offenses to convert 3rd downs 24% of the time, which is an extremely low number, considering the amount of talent there is in the NFL. Both defenses are great this year and have definitely shown what it takes takes to get here, and we’ll see how the defenses play against the opposing offense.
Both teams are phenomenal this year and by all means are deserving to be in Super Bowl LIV. With both teams hot heading into the big game, it’ll be a fantastic matchup, but at the end of the day, the Chiefs will be the Super Bowl LIV Champions!