The 58th edition of the Super Bowl will take place in Sin City at Allegiant Stadium, holding its first-ever Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. In the Championship Round, the 49ers representing the NFC rallied against a 17-point halftime deficit against the Lions to punch their ticket to Vegas. In contrast, the Chiefs had a defensive battle with the top-seeded Ravens, and came out on top in a 17-10 victory. This game will be a rematch of Super Bowl 54, which took place only four years ago. The Chiefs won that battle, overcoming a 10-point deficit to win 31-20, kick-starting their ‘dynasty’. Since that game in 2020, the 49ers have made the Championship round three out of the four following seasons, however only being able to reach the Super Bowl in this season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, haven’t missed the Championship round since 2020 and have appeared in two Super Bowls, including a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a recent victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Despite being a rematch, this game will be very different as both teams have undergone significant changes since that game, mostly on the offensive side. After exchanging wide receiver Tyreek Hill for several draft picks, the Chiefs lost their deep threat, and the rest of their skill players other than Travis Kelce are new as well. The 49ers have seen big changes as well. Quarterback Jimmy Garrapolo has since been replaced with Brock Purdy, who is only in his second season, and the acquisition of running back Christian McCaffrey, who was recently crowned Offensive Player of the Year, also upgrades the team.
The 49ers’ offense, has been almost unstoppable this year, is second in the league in yards per game, and tied with the lead for most touchdowns in the NFL. They will face a Chiefs defense led by linebacker Nick Bolton and defensive tackle Chris Jones, that has been great all season averaging 17.3 points given up per game, only allowing 30+ points once, and ranking second in both points and yards allowed. Despite the lack of offensive weapons compared to his previous seasons, Patrick Mahomes has still played at an elite level, and receiver Rashee Rice has had a great rookie season for the Chiefs. The seemingly unstoppable 49ers offense led by Christian McCaffrey has also seen wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have his best season to date, with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel also playing crucial offensive roles. It looks like it will be a great game with many lead changes, but in the end, we have the Kansas City Chiefs coming out on top behind Patrick Mahomes’ playmaking and Andy Reid’s play calling. Brock Purdy and the Niners have played amazing, but in recent games, especially against Detroit in the Championship, the 49ers made many mistakes and questionable plays, and just barely made it to this point. The Chiefs have an elite defense, the best quarterback in the league, and are simply more experienced. Like we’ve said before, you can never bet against the Chiefs.
PREDICTION: Chiefs 24, 49ers 20
