Title: Super Bowl LVIII: Preview and Prediction
Byline: Aeneas Hines, NFL Beat Reporter
Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas is officially a rematch from Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. This article serves as a preview for the players and personnel that make up the teams that will meet in the final game of the 2023 regular season.
San Francisco 49ers: NFC No. One Seed
Owner: Jed York
General Manager: John Lynch
Head Coach: Kyle Shanahan (7th Season)
Record: 12-5, 1st in NFC West
Pro Bowlers: 9 (including RB Christian McCaffrey, QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle, FB Kyle Juszczyk, OT Trent Williams, DE Nick Bosa, DT Javon Hargrave and ILB Fred Warner)
AP All Pros: 7 (1st team: Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner and Kyle Juszczyk. 2nd team: Brandon Aiyuk and Charvarious Ward)
The 49ers continue to ride the momentum of starting QB Brock Purdy’s magical run during the end of the 2022 season. Purdy took over for Jimmy Garoppolo and didn’t win until the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia.Purdy injured his shoulder in that game and underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in the offseason. Despite having surgery, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the front office were not coy about who the starting QB would be in the Bay.
Just two years after giving up three first round picks to move up to the No. three pick in the 2021 draft, San Francisco traded away siad pick, Trey Lance, to the Cowboys for a fourth round pick. This move and Jimmy G’s departure to Las Vegas essentially handed the keys of the offense to Brock Purdy for the foreseeable future.
The 49ers started the season hot, winning their first five games before a three game losing streak ensued with losses to the Browns, Bengals and Vikings. San Francisco lost just two more games after that three game skid, one of which Purdy and several starters didn’t play. The Niners finished with a 12-5 record and finished as the NFC’s top seed. They survived a couple of scares during the playoffs, as they overcame second half deficits to both the Packers and Lions to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years where they look to avenge their loss to the Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs: AFC No. Three Seed
Owner: The Hunt Family
General Manager: Brett Veach
Head Coach: Andy Reid (11th Season)
Record: 11-5, 1st in AFC West
Pro Bowlers: 5 (including QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, G Joe Thuney, C Creed Humphrey and DT Chris Jones)
All-Pros: 3 (1st team: G Joe Thuney, DT Chris Jones and CB Trent McDuffie)
The Chiefs entered 2023 as defending champs with a very strong case for a repeat title. Unfortunately, things were never smooth sailing for KC. The Chiefs offense looked out of sync often and there were several moments where frustration boiled over on the sideline between Mahomes and his teammates. Kansas City also led the league in dropped passes with a whopping 44. Things got so bad in that department that they listed receiver Kadarius Toney, who played a major role in last year’s Super Bowl, as inactive for the AFC Championship game.
Thankfully for KC, the squad has proven that they play their best in the postseason because they have Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has completed 70% of his throws with a yards-per-attempt average of 7.0 and 11 touchdowns without throwing an interception in his last six postseason games. Additionally, the offense as a whole has recently shown signs of life. They’re getting more big plays; in their divisional round victory over the Bills, they had eight plays of more than 20 yards, a season record.
The other side of the ball has been equally dominant as of late for the Chiefs. Their defense finished second in the league in total defense and scoring defense while finishing top five in run defense. They put together arguably their best performance of the season, holding the No. One rushing offense in football to just 81 yards on the ground and soon-to-be MVP Lamar Jackson to pedestrian numbers.
Prediction
The 49ers blew a ten point fourth quarter lead in Super Bowl LIV in Miami. This time, I think San Francisco will generate a fourth quarter comeback of their own, similar to their previous two playoff games. Kyle Shanhan, known for having several playoff meltdowns, is on the fast track to reversing his reputation and I think he will do just that in year seven. I predict that Taylor Swift will not see the field at the end of the game and Brock Purdy will beat all of the “game-manager” narratives when he raises his Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Score Prediction: 49ers 28, Chiefs 24