Super Bowl Sunday has finally arrived and it should be a match up for the ages. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers meet is a battle of strengths to decide who will be the champion of the NFL’s 100th season.
Here is a preview of what may happen when each unit is on the field.
When the Chiefs offense is on the field
What the Chiefs offense can do while their offense is on the field. Kansas City has put together one of the greatest offenses the league has ever seen, led by the big arm of Patrick Mahomes and the speed of Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman at receiver. They also feature one of the best two tight ends in the league with Travis Kelce. It has been near impossible to stop this Chiefs offense when they are online since Mahomes took over the reigns of the offense in 2018.
The 49ers defense has some fire power of their own. Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa has already proved himself as one of the top pass rushers in the league. He joined a defensive line that also features elite talents in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. Kwon Alexander has already made an impact at linebacker despite just returning from a long term injury. On the back end, Richard Sherman did not allow an achilles injury in 2018 derail his career. Sherman was one of the best cornerbacks in the league and earned an All-pro nod.
This is strength vs. strength, but there is a clear advantage for the Chiefs. As great as Sherman is, he may have trouble keeping up with the speed of the Chiefs offense. The 49ers also play a lot of zone defense, and the Chiefs should be able to stretch them out with their speed and be able to work Kelce underneath to find gaps in the zones. San Francisco probably will not give up 40 points or anything, but do not expect their defense to be as stout as usual against Kansas City.
When the 49ers offense in on the field
This is really where the 49ers can win this game. San Francisco has gotten to the Super Bowl by riding the back of UDFA running back Raheem Mostert and the offensive line. In the Super Bowl, they will take on a Chiefs defense which has struggled to stop the run all season.
While all the analytics say that run defense does not truly matter to the success of a team over the course of a long season (the Chiefs making it all the way to the Super Bowl is a good example), in a one game sample, this is a dangerous prospect for Kansas City.
The Chiefs failure to stop the run in the AFC Championship early on dug them into a hole. While they were able to quickly climb right back out of that hole, doing so again this week will be a tall task. San Francisco’s rushing attack can drive them down the field, as they can chip away at the Chiefs over time. Their rushing attack can also keep the Chiefs explosive offense off of the field, and limiting the amount of time that Mahomes has the ball can win them the game.
San Francisco can not beat the Chiefs in a shoot out, so their main goal is to do everything they can to avoid one. Jimmy Garappolo is a fine quarterback, but his main goal will be risk mitigation rather than playing to win. While he will probably throw more than eight passes - as he did in the NFC Championship Game - limiting the amount of times he has to throw the ball is probably the best chance they have.
Prediction
The 49ers do not have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Chiefs, and unless their defense plays near perfectly, they will not be able to stop Mahomes and the Kansas City offense. They will have to do what literally no one has been able to do to the Chiefs over the past two years, and I just can not see it happening.
Kansas City wins (Chiefs -2)