The NFC and AFC’s best will square off in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 2, with intriguing matchups all over the place
Can you believe it’s been 25 years since the 49ers won the Super Bowl? The Niners’ faithful sure can. Wednesday marked the 25th anniversary of when quarterback Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers walloped the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. Little did 49er fans know that their celebration of the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title would be their last for at least two and a half decades.
Kansas City Chiefs fans scoff at the brevity of the 49ers Super Bowl drought, for it has been exactly 50 years since the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 1970. While the 49ers last appearance in the championship was in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, Colin Kaepernick’s devastating 3 point loss to Joe Flacco’s Ravens, the Chiefs haven’t been back to the big dance since Super Bowl IV.
Nevertheless, its Niners vs. Chiefs for all the marbles on Sunday in Super Bowl LIV. The 54th edition of the biggest stage in American sports features several intriguing matchups.
The Chiefs have been considered a serious Super Bowl Contender for several seasons now. After Andy Reid took over as head coach in 2013, the Chiefs have finished with double-digit wins in all but one season. They have won the AFC West four times in a row, and with youthful additions to the offense, including reigning MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City has had the most consistently explosive offense in the league in recent years.
On the other side, no one would have expected the 49ers to compete for a Super Bowl after their laughable 4-12 finish last season. Now, General Manager John Lynch finally has all his pieces in place, and third-year head coach Kyle Shanahan has orchestrated a complete culture change in San Francisco. No one is laughing now.
The Niners have proven themselves on both sides of the ball. Their balanced offensive attack is ranked second in points and fourth in yards according to Pro Football Reference. The consistency is the result of the highly anticipated emergence of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who bounced back from a torn ACL in 2018 and started all 16 games this season.
Garoppolo finished the season with 27 TDs and almost 4,000 yards passing. Though he only ranked 12th in QBR after the regular season, he’s proven himself capable of making the big throws when they matter the most. Pair his dependability with a ground game that shredded Green Bay for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns in the NFC Championship game, and you have an offense poised to put up big numbers on Sunday.
Shanahan has his defense to thank for their part in his offense’s triumphs. The Niners have the eighth-ranked defensive squad with playmakers all over the place. Former Chief outside linebacker Dee Ford paired up at the beginning of the year with rookie edge rusher Nick Bosa to lead one of the league’s most effective pass rushes this season. Richard Sherman, one of the NFL’s highest-graded cornerbacks since 2013, will lead the Niner secondary against a lethal Chiefs pass game.
They are lethal, although they didn’t have the success they had last season. The Chiefs were ranked fifth in points and sixth in yards in the regular season despite finishing first in both those categories last year. That’s not to say they have lost a step; they’re arguably the most talented offense in the league. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished the regular season with 26 TDs on 4,031 yards passing (although he missed three games) and continues to revolutionize his position. Along with his arsenal of targets, including the likes of speed-demon receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes will look to put points on the board early and often.
Kansas City’s defense, a weak spot for the team in recent seasons, has held its ground this season. Though they have given up an above-average amount of yards this season, they still managed to rank seventh in the league in points allowed. Defensive end Frank Clark and linebacker Anthony Hitchens will aim to contain running back Raheem Mostert and the 49ers ground game while Tyrann Mathieu and the secondary will be tasked with stopping Mahomes through the air.
After beginning their last two contests uncharacteristically slow, Reid will look to get his young quarterback in a rhythm early in the game. For the 49ers, Shanahan will emphasize establishing his run game to open up options for Jimmy G as the game goes on.
The Super Bowl is set to kick off on Fox at 3:30 p.m. PST on Sunday.