We are less than a week away from the final game of the 2023/24 NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, and while I cannot wait until my Vikings play in Super Bowl LIX, I will definitely enjoy this showdown. Sometimes, I believe that the two best teams aren’t always in the Super Bowl, and while I did not predict these two, both teams are easily in the discussion for the best of the season. So, here are a few things you need to know heading into the big game.
A Rematch Of Super Bowl LIV
Patrick Mahomes won his first Super Bowl in 2020 against the 49ers by a score of 31-20. While he wasn’t perfect, he did lead the Chiefs to 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and the championship. The teams are very different now, but there are plenty of players on the 49ers who still have a bitter taste in their mouths that they’d like to rectify.
The 49ers defense in Super Bowl LIV boasted a number of starters who are still vital today: Fred Warner, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, and Dre Greenlaw. Not to mention, cornerback Charvarius Ward would love nothing more to win one for his current team, even though he was on the winning side with the Chiefs in 2020. Factor in Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, and George Kittle on offense, and you have a team that is licking their chops for revenge. Further, head coach Kyle Shanahan will no doubt remember how they mowed down the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers to get to the Super Bowl, then built a 20-10 lead against the Chiefs, only to watch it fade away. This rematch may not have all of the same players, but the ones who remember their first meeting will be poised for the rematch.
Notable Impacts On Legacies
At first, I wanted to write about “Who needs this win the most?” But then I remembered that I don’t require a Super Bowl win to acknowledge a player or coach’s greatness. Instead, I’ve just decided on the guys I want to shout-out in regards to how a Super Bowl win could really boost their national resume, based on whether or not they win, of course. Because while I don’t need a player or coach to have a ring, it definitely helps their cause.
If the 49ers win…
- Kyle Shanahan is on the fast track to being a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach. He has a .727 playoff winning percentage and has coached in 11 playoff games in his short, seven-year coaching career. The only other comparable names on the list are seventh-year coaches Sean McDermott and Sean McVay. Shanahan will continue to rack up the regular season wins, and if he can win with Mr. Irrelevant at quarterback, his legacy will be hard to tear down.
- Fred Warner should become a household name. He has played in an amazing 98 of 99 possible career games, and he’s started in them all. He has never had a season of less than 118 tackles, and this season marked his second consecutive first-team All-Pro nod, and third overall. The dude is already one of the best ever, and he’s only 27. If he adds a Super Bowl win now, he is in the discussion for the best linebacker of all time.
- Trent Williams is the MVP (in my imaginary world, where an offensive lineman can actually win the award). The 35-year-old was a first-team All-Pro again this season, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, his absence against my Vikings played a role in the 49ers loss on that Monday night. If the 49ers win the Super Bowl, Williams will undoubtedly have had a strong game, and somebody needs to give him recognition, so I will.
If the Chiefs win… (I will look at other people not named Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid, as they do not need any sort of legacy boosting.)
- Chris Jones becomes the greatest defensive lineman in Chiefs history. This is a bold claim, but I can confidently admit that I’m not qualified to make it, so make it I will. From a numbers standpoint, though, he is third all-time in sacks for the franchise, behind only Tamba Hali and Neil Smith. I don’t know anything about Neil Smith, but I do remember the force that Hali was. And yet, neither of them anchored Super Bowl-winning defenses (at least not for Kansas City; Smith did win two Super Bowls in Denver). Chris Jones did it last season and was also a part of the Super Bowl LIV-winning team. If they win again, he’ll have three Super Bowls, and he’s already top five in career sacks.
- I will be actively rooting for Isiah Pacheco to stay a Chief forever. Pacheco is already 21st in career rushing yardage for the franchise, and his 4.7 career yards per carry is better than that of Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson. Sure, Jamaal Charles’ 5.5 yards per carry is untouchable, but here’s where the championship boost comes in. Pacheco has already been a part of one Super Bowl-winning team, and regardless of whether they win or lose on Sunday, his running ability has been a crucial part of this Chiefs offense all year. If they win, and he runs for 80 plus yards? He need only run for three or four more seasons before he becomes one of the best Chiefs running backs of all time.
- Nick Bolton will have played a significant defensive role. At just 23 years old, he is not old enough to really be worried about legacy, but he is one of my favorite Chiefs players. He is a playmaker who is always around the ball, and he had a huge fumble return touchdown in last year’s Super Bowl against the Eagles. If he has another gigantic play like this, he will already be in the Chiefs playoff lore, a guy that would get a lot of screen time in the NFL Films documentary of the Chiefs dynasty, if you will.
Now To The Game Itself: Three Things To Watch In Super Bowl LVIII
Number One: Kansas City’s offense needs to play a full game
Yes, Patrick Mahomes did enough against the Ravens, and once they had a lead it was more about controlling the clock than it was about scoring in the second half. That said, they scored zero points in the second half and had five consecutive drives that ended in punts. If the Ravens had made a few fewer mistakes, the game could have ended very differently. The Kansas City defense has been their calling card all year, but in case they don’t build a lead, they will need to put up more points in the Super Bowl. And in addition to the consistency of Pacheco, Rashee Rice, and Travis Kelce, they will need guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling to step up, much like he did on the game-clinching completion in Baltimore.
Number Two: The 49ers need a good start
For San Francisco, their offense did plenty of good things in the second half, so their improvement needs to come in the first half. Detroit built a 24-7 halftime lead, and while the 49ers outplayed them in the second half, they also had to rely on dropped passes, fourth-down conversion attempts by Detroit, a fumble, and a 51-yard touchdown catch where the pass bounced off of a facemask. Catch my drift? Kansas City is not going to implode in any way, so the 49ers need to come out crisp from the get-go.
Number Three: Which defense wins the day?
Honestly, for all of the offensive weapons in this game, I believe the game will come down to which defense can have the most sacks, turnovers, and/or big plays. Both teams rely on elite-level defenses, so will Nick Bosa steal the Super Bowl MVP award? How about Trent McDuffie for the Chiefs? I could have unearthed a bevy of stats to back up this idea, but it wouldn’t matter. The defense that makes the most plays could very well decide this game that features the offensive juggernauts of Mahomes, Kelce, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle.
Honorable Mention: The Kickers
It’s veteran vs. noob in this one, and I would not be surprised if Harrison Butker wins this one for the Chiefs. Butker is 28 for 32 in his 18 career postseason games. Further, he has not missed more than one field goal in a postseason, and he is perfect so far in this current playoff run.
On the flip side, rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a kick in the championship game against Detroit and will be experiencing the bright lights of the Super Bowl for the first time. Even if it’s early in the game, a missed kick could prove costly for the 49ers.
Prediction Time
At this moment, the Chiefs are two-point underdogs, but given their track record, it’s hard to ever consider them anything but the favorite. This year, however, I think the 49ers will steal it. I think Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Co. will do just enough damage against an elite Kansas City defense, and I think Brock Purdy will complete his Hollywood narrative, going from Mr. Irrelevant to Super Bowl Champion. He has proved me wrong on numerous occasions, so while I cannot say with confidence he’ll beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, that means he probably will.
The Chiefs will be in it until the end for all of the obvious reasons, but I think the 49ers will clamp down on Travis Kelce during a win-or-go-home late drive for the Chiefs, and the other pass catchers won’t step up for Mahomes. San Francisco wins Super Bowl LVIII by a score of 31-22.
Who do you think will win? Let me know on Twitter, and be sure to follow Bite-Size Sports on Twitter and YouTube as well!
Necessary Roughness
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