One of the biggest sporting events of the year will take place Sunday. There are just a few days until the Super Bowl kickoff, which will feature familiar franchises. From the AFC, we have the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Philadelphia Eagles just a year ago for the second Super Bowl victory in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Representing the NFC this year, are the San Francisco 49ers, who are making their second Super Bowl appearance under Kyle Shanahan, who is looking to avenge a loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl back in 2020. With legacies on the line and just one game left in the NFL season, it’s time to look at some of the key matchups and crown a champion.
One of the biggest stories of the postseason has been the resurgence of Travis Kelce. After the statistically worst season he has had since 2015, Kelce has destroyed teams in the postseason, making big touchdown catches in both road wins against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
In the AFC Championship game, Kelce put up a staggering 116 yards on 11 receptions, breaking Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's postseason receptions record. Kelce will have to play a huge role for the Chiefs because outside of rookie Rashee Rice, the Chiefs' ball catchers have had difficulties with drops. The Chiefs led the league with a staggering 44 drops this season as a team.
The 49ers' secondary on paper has been very successful, holding opposing teams to only around 5 yards per attempt. A standout of this unit is Charvarius Ward, who won a Super Bowl as a member of the Chiefs against the 49ers in their previous matchup. Ward has been the 49ers' best corner, hands down, matching up against the best receiver of the opposing team all season. It will be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Steve Wilks will use him.
If Kelce can establish his presence against this secondary, it will open up opportunities for his teammates, and if the 49ers secondary can slow him down, the Chiefs may have to rely more on the run game.
While Kelce has been the Chiefs’ most dangerous weapon, running back Christian McCaffrey has arguably been the best offensive player this season. McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards with 1,459 yards while also catching 67 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. McCaffrey is the favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year, and he will have to set the tone for the 49ers' offense against the athletic front seven of the Chiefs.
When looking at the Chiefs’ defense, the first name that comes to mind is Chris Jones, who has been a mauler for the unit since being drafted by the team in 2016. Jones requires two offensive linemen to be stopped from getting after the quarterback and has had a history of showing up in big games for the Chiefs.
Alongside him are teammates Nick Bolton and Willie Gay who are great in pass protection and blitz pressures under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. It doesn’t help that Charles Omenihu is out for this game after tearing his ACL in the championship game. The recipe for beating the 49ers this year has been to pack the run lanes and make Brock Purdy beat you with his arm, so this battle in the trenches could play a huge role in determining the outcome of the matchup.
The Super Bowl has not had a repeat champion since the New England Patriots did it with Tom Brady in the early 2000s. One could argue, however, that there has not been a quarterback as good as Brady until Mahomes, and in the big game, having someone who knows how to win on the grandest stages is going to be a huge advantage.
The 49ers' defense, which was once the team’s strength, has given up a lot of yards to teams like the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, while the Chiefs' defense did a great job containing the Ravens and Miami Dolphins elite offenses. This game, as it so often does, comes down to experience, and Andy Reid and the Chiefs have just been there and done that more than the 49ers. The Chiefs will win yet another close-fought game 30-24 for Patrick Mahomes' third Super Bowl victory in five years.
Jasper Greuel is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jasper about his column? email him at jg453620@ohio.edu.
