It’s Super Bowl Week. Let’s preview the matchup as the Chiefs clash with the 49ers in the desert of Las Vegas.
272 Games. 18 Weeks. Three rounds of Playoffs. Only two teams remain. It’s Super Bowl Week. On February 11th, the Chiefs and 49ers will duel in the desert for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Let’s break down the matchup, see how each team got here, and examine each team’s key to victory.
Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are back. Last year’s Super Bowl winner is looking to go back-to-back and win the third Super Bowl of the Reid-Mahomes era. However, this year in the emerging Chiefs dynasty has not been like previous — they’ve struggled at times, and it’s been far more of a team effort than the Mahomes show of old.
The Chiefs have been poor at points this year. After starting 7-2, they went 4-4 to end the season. Furthermore, their offence, which was first in the NFL last year, ranked 15th in scoring this season; meanwhile, Mahomes, who threw for over 5000 yards and 41 touchdowns last year, saw his production drop to only 4100 yards and just 27 touchdowns this season.
On the other hand, the Chiefs’ defence has taken a big step up. What was considered a “middle of the pack” unit a year ago has emerged as one of the NFL’s elite defences this season. Led by Chris Jones, Justin Reid, Trent McDuffie, and George Karlaftis, they allowed 17.3 points per game, sacked quarterbacks 57 times, and despite injuries, were consistently one of the league’s best passing defences.
The Chiefs entered the playoffs as the AFC’s third seed. They started out the playoffs at Arrowhead facing down the Miami Dolphins. Temperatures were frigid, with wind chill reaching -32 degrees Celsius. The cold temperatures froze the Dolphins in the water as the Chiefs stormed over them for a 26-7 win. The game saw a dominant performance from Chiefs rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice who had seven catches for 130 yards.
Next, the Chiefs travelled to Buffalo to face the rival Bills. This marked Patrick Mahomes’ first away playoff game in his career. As with so many of the games in the Bills-Chiefs rivalry, which has featured dramatic moments such as ‘13 seconds’, it came down to the wire once again. Both offences duelled back and forth all game, and with less than two minutes to go, Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed a game-tying field goal to seal the win for the Chiefs.
The next week, the Chiefs travelled to Baltimore for the AFC Championship in a matchup with the number one seed, Ravens. This game saw the Chiefs’ defence step up and shut the door on the Ravens’ offence, holding them to only 10 points and limiting the league’s best-rushing offence to only 81 yards.
It’s this defence which will be the Chiefs’ key to victory. The San Francisco offence has been dominant this season and has been able to pile on points in bunches. For the Chiefs’ offence to be able to keep pace, the defence must be able to keep the offence in check.
49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are coming into this game looking to even score against the Chiefs, who beat them in Super Bowl LIV. They are riding a top-five offence and defence and looked dominant throughout the regular season.
The 49ers offence has been one of the most efficient units in the NFL this season. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed just under 70 per cent of his passes while throwing for over 4000 yards. Star running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 5.4 yards per attempt while collecting over 1400 yards on the ground and another 564 through the air. Both are MVP finalists. They were complimented by star performances from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle who each had 1000-yard receiving seasons.
The defence’s dominance was equally complete this season. The 49ers allowed only 17.5 points per game and finished third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. They were strong at almost every position, led by a linebacking core which features arguably the best in a game in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, a star in his own right.
The secondary features are the emerging Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, as well as the reliable veteran Tashaun Gipson. The front four is no weaker, anchored by Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, and Arik Armstead, the former two being pro bowlers.
San Francisco was the number one seed in the NFC entering the playoffs and therefore was afforded the playoff bye week.
They opened their playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, coming to Santa Clara after their shock victory over the Cowboys. They started rusty, having difficulty scoring in the first half and falling behind as the third quarter opened. A strong comeback performance from the offence and the defence shutting the door secured them the 24-21 win.
The next week, the 49ers hosted the Detroit Lions for the NFC Championship. Again, San Francisco gave their fans reason to panic as the Lions stormed out in front, making the game 24-7 at halftime. However, in the second half Purdy and the offence hit back equally hard, and along with some questionable play calling from Lions coach Dan Campbell, were able to secure the victory.
Just as it was against the Packers and Lions, it’s a strong performance from the 49ers offence, which will bring them to victory against the Chiefs. With Kansas City’s offensive potential likely limited to the mid-twenty point range in terms of scoring, San Francisco must simply outpace their opponent as a low-scoring game leaves the door open for Mahomes and Kelce to strike.
Super Bowl LVIII kicks off at 6:30 PM on Sunday, February 11th. Check odds, stats, and other information here.
