The conference championships are in the books and the Super Bowl matchup is set. It is an intriguing one full of the NFL’s brightest stars as the Kansas City Chiefs will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl LIV rematch, which was won by Kansas City. This iteration will be no different as the Chiefs will come out on top once again.
Contrary to previous years, the Chiefs defense is leading the way. They ranked second in both yards and points allowed per game this year. Their pass defense has been especially strong, which can be largely attributed to the breakouts of young cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed.
It will certainly be interesting to see how they play against an offense stacked with the likes of Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel at the skill positions.
On the defensive line, perennial Pro Bowler Chris Jones is the heart and soul of the defense. He will limit the 49ers strong running game, and along with edge rusher George Karlaftis, will make 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s life in the pocket difficult. The Chief’s left tackle Trent Williams will likely dominate on the edge, but expect Jones to wreak havoc down the middle.
On offense, the Chiefs yards per game this season has been down considerably and the receiver play has looked inconsistent. Nonetheless, they should still be feared. The legendary trio of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, head coach Andy Reid and tight end Travis Kelce have been lighting up the scoreboard together since 2018.
Running back Isiah Pacheco averaged 4.6 yards per carry for nearly 1,000 yards in total. The receiver woes have been helped by rookie Rashee Rice’s second-half emergence and the offensive line has been better than ever. For all of the talent on the Chiefs’ offense, the 49ers’ defense may have even more and features numerous stars. 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, Chase Young and Arik Armstead make up a great defensive line; Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are the best linebacker duo in the league, and former Chief Charvarius Ward has emerged as an elite cornerback.
While the talent is comparable and may even favor the 49ers, the Chiefs will still leave Las Vegas with their third Super Bowl title in five years. The Chiefs are no strangers to this moment and show playoff composure similar to the Belichick/Brady era Patriots dynasty. They will let the 49ers make mistakes and will capitalize.
The 49ers have looked beatable in their first two playoff games, both being come-from-behind wins. Reid will have his team ready and the Chiefs will not allow that to happen. Purdy has proven to be a good quarterback, but this defense is beyond anything he has seen this year and will make for a tough matchup in the biggest game of his life.
The 49ers stars may make plays at times, but Mahomes, Kelce and Reid know what it takes to win and will pull it out again in what I predict will be a 24-17 scoreline.