Isn’t this the million-dollar question? With Super Bowl 58 today, I (along with everyone else) am wondering who is going to reign supreme atop the NFL after Super Bowl Sunday?
Who will win?!?!
With the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs players gearing up for the biggest game of their, respective, seasons, we are all wondering who will come out of Super Bowl 58 victories? And, to be honest, this might be one of the most difficult Super Bowls to predict!
Okay, I know this question has been asked and answered by a many already, but how could I resist answering the most pressing question of the sports world this year (and, yes, I know it’s only been a month and a half into 2024, but the Super Bowl is going to be the biggest game of the season by a mile)? Obviously, I couldn’t.
So, this Super Bowl prediction really does have the added benefit that most Super Bowls in the recent years just haven’t had: it being a rematch. Unlike the Chiefs victory over the Eagles last season, their defeat against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, and the 49ers failure in the biggest game to the Baltimore Ravens in 2012 (their latest SB matchup not against the Chiefs), the Chiefs and the 49ers have already met against one another in the biggest game with their great 31-20 showdown in Super Bowl 54.
And, with nearly twenty of the starters in this matchup also being a part of that 31-20 Chiefs victory, it’s safe to say that these two teams still have enough carryovers to use that previous Super Bowl in the comparison.
So, I think that Super Bowl victory for the Chiefs can only be weighed in their favor as they have far more winning experience at the highest level than their rivals in San Francisco, while also having the confidence and knowledge that THEY beat this 49ers team once before.
However, an argument can be made that this experience actually hurst the Chiefs for the 49ers might be more motivated to show the world that they shall not be beaten by Kansas City once again. And that goes triple for the next point of comparison: the rosters. The Chiefs and the 49ers are very evenly matched on paper, and it’s almost impossible to give one team the edge over the other.
The 49ers offense and defense had the better stats in the regular season over the Chiefs, respective, units, yet it is Kansas City who has scored more points than the 49ers (70 vs. 58), given up less total yards/game (322.7 vs. 386.0), and less points/game (13.7 vs 26.0) in the postseason. So, take you pick for what unit you would rather have as they’re both great…which leads me to the final point of comparison that makes the difference in my eyes: gamechangers.
The stars on the 49ers, such as Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Ayiuk, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, etc., and the stars on the Chiefs, such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, George Kalafatis, L’Jarius Sneed, Nick Bolton, etc., may be quite similar on paper, but they’re MILES A PART in terms of championship experience.
The Chiefs superstars know how to win, and, more importantly, what it takes to win, while the 49ers stars have either never played in the Super Bowl or have failed to win. And that goes for the coaches too as Andy Reid has the experience of being the reigning Super Bowl champion coach and having won two Super Bowls in four trips.
However, Kyle Shanahan has been a complete failure (sorry, but it’s true) in the Super Bowl as he’s blown a 10-point, 4th quarter lead in the 49ers 31-20 defeat to the Chiefs, while he was the offensive coordinator of the Falcons in their epic 25-point lead collapse in the Patriots 34-28 comeback victory in Super Bowl LI. When the game gets tight, I know the Chiefs stars will perform.
Can you really say the same about the 49ers game changers? And what about Kyle Shanahan? Is he going to blow ANOTHER lead in the Super Bowl?
I’m fearful that he might, and that’s why I’m taking the Chiefs to become a dynasty and win the Super Bowl rematch.
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