Super Bowl week finally arrives! What’s even better is the Niners are back in the Super Bowl after 4 seasons away from it.

Anyway, let’s recap from the NFL Conference Title games. The Chiefs worked Baltimore quickly and held firm for the rest of the game. Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco were the enforcers for Pat Mahomes once again. What was worse was Zay Flowers’ unsportsmanlike penalty led to karma preventing him from scoring in the next minute or so. However, mistakes were made by Baltimore throughout the game. Despite the defense holding firm in the second half allowing no points, they made mistakes with penalties while Lamar Jackson and company failed to capitalize due to lack of rushing (which was their strength) and forcing Jackson to play quarterback instead of just playing football. The Ravens played their worst football of the entire season while the Chiefs head to their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons.

Going from the Old Bay to the Bay Area (Santa Clara, actually), the 49ers were once again pushed against the wall by Dan Campbell’s Brand-New Lions. Just like Green Bay, Detroit worked San Fran’s defense down to their third level in the first half without resistance. The 49ers offense wasn’t bad, but Jake Moody’s missed field goal and the defense overall didn’t help their situation in the first half. In the second half, however, the 49ers turned a 180 and dominated the third quarter and finished strong in the fourth. Detroit failed to stay consistent while San Fran’s momentum out bested them. What’s worse was that Detroit missed too many opportunities, including bypassing field goals for first downs and dropped passes. No matter the adversity, a Kyle Shanahan-coached San Fran finally overcame teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time ever (and it’s about damn time too!!!!).

As we close in on the Super Bowl, let’s look at how the Chiefs and 49ers arrived in Las Vegas.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs came into the 2023 season as the crowning champs after defeating the Eagles. However, questions loom after losing Orlando Brown Jr. and reliable pass catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster. No doubt KC’s favored to return, but days prior to Week 1 were anything but guaranteed.

It ranged from Travis Kelce’s injury to Chris Jones holding out for a big payday. Whether or not it affected their performance against Detroit in Week 1, a healthy Kelce and the on-field presence of Chris Jones was paramount to the Chiefs’ success and a Super Bowl return. The first half of the season was still good, but the second half showed some exposure that Kansas City wasn’t used to. Once they made the postseason, they turned on their playoff switch and traversed through the cold, wet environment of their home and two roads to the Super Bowl.

Their 2023-’24 run was mostly credited by the Chiefs defense led by Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, and L’Jarius Sneed. Their presence, effort, and leadership were reasons they’re the only team that hasn’t allowed a 30-point game all season. However, the offense…was a little sporadic. Pre-snap penalties, a couple of key injuries, Kadarius Toney (I guess from what’s been mentioned throughout) and pass catching drops were reasons for their inconsistency. But when you have Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (and Taylor Swift…), the team will be fine. Isaiah Pacheco’s presence in Year 2 went from a whirlwind to a hurricane. He is a force with the ball in his hand, especially in the second half of the season. Rashee Rice came on when no other receiver could and became the top receiver and a number two target behind Kelce. He tallied 938 yards on 79 catches for seven touchdowns in the regular season, which is more than JuJu Smith-Schuster’s stats in all categories last season.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

The 49ers finally reached the point of no return after coming up short in the NFC championship twice to the Rams and Eagles. They have a loaded roster with names all over, including Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and Charvarius Ward. The roster was built from the ground up since basically 2017. I won’t explain the delay for constant Super Bowl contentions because it’ll cause a relapse in my PTSD about the Jimmy G trade. Anyway, after some hindrance from the ultimate goal, the team may have the final piece to that puzzle to achieve it, and that piece is Brock Purdy.

I was driving home from Cal-Berkeley during the first half of the 49ers first week against the Steelers. I got several texts mentioning their offense scoring early and Brock Purdy looking solid. Once I got home, caught the second half, and looked over first half highlights, Purdy and the offense looked surgical. Defense played a big part in making crucial stops, creating problems, and forcing turnovers. For the first five weeks, the team was burning the NFL world with 30-plus point games, including a complete domination over Dallas. Then things took a weird turn with three straight losses before the bye with both Williams and Samuel out. Also, Purdy’s shakiness and Dre Greenlaw’s injury affected the team as a whole. The whole thing led to averaging under 20 points for three straight games. Needing an answer during the bye, San Fran signed Chase Young to create a spark. The team recovered and dominated again before Baltimore ended their run with another under 20-point performance. The postseason truly tested San Fran against the motivated Packers and the Brand-New Lions. The 49ers finally overcame double-digit deficits twice to return to the Super Bowl and finish what they started back in 2020.

As I mentioned above, Purdy and the offense are surgical when the entire roster’s healthy. They showed they can compete against nearly anybody, but the key to their success is running the goddamn ball behind Christian McCaffrey. If CMC’s not getting touches, their chance of victory is minimal. Pretty much the entire offensive roster must be present to be surgical throughout the game. Whatever the defense was in the first few weeks of the season turned its ugly head a bit. However, when the game came down to it, they stepped up and played their elite football. Now, they’re here and there’s a few players from the 2020 Super Bowl that have Unfinished Business.

THE MATCHUP: ROUND 2 BETWEEN KC & SF

This matchup could be called the Joe Montana Bowl or the Alex Smith Bowl. There’s a few current Niner/Chiefs trade-offs in Charvarius Ward, Charles Omenihu (IR), and Jerick McKinnon. Whatever anyone wants to call it, both teams clash again, and plenty are on the line.

The Chiefs hold the all-time record at 8-7, won the last five in six meetings, won the last three when scoring 30-plus points, and Pat Mahomes is 3-0 all-time against the 49ers during that stint with a Super Bowl victory. Their dynasty run started after that exact Super Bowl LIV matchup. This Sunday’s win could cement their status against that same team too (which would infuriate me).

The 49ers offense matches up perfectly against the Chiefs defense, and YES!!! I’m aware that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are there, but when the Chiefs defense allow 17.3 points in the regular season and 13.7 through three games, there’s no doubt they’ll be on stage against Purdy, CMC, and company that averaged 28.9 points in the regular season and 29 in two games. History usually says defense wins championships, but don’t discount San Fran despite the defense being bludgeoned in two playoff games because they allowed 17.5 points in the regular season.

The Chiefs have a slight edge because of Super Bowl experience, but the 49ers have been in the postseason for three straight seasons and four out of the last five (all in the NFC Championship or beyond with two Super Bowl appearances) under Kyle Shanahan. There are also a few players from Super Bowl LIV that know each other with a few players currently swapped on different sides. This is also the second straight Super Bowl matchup between Big 12 players.

Biased or not, here’s my feeling. I believe the 49ers have a chance to deny the Chiefs their dynasty. The team overall seems there for each other through thick and thin. They haven’t forgotten about their Super Bowl loss to KC. When they came up short against Philly last year without Purdy for the rest of the game, the team knew this year was all business from Week 1 to now. Despite the 49ers being favored somehow, the Chiefs received the most attention since the playoffs began and the attention is still there. Despite Mahomes, Kelce, and Jones being present, the 49ers feel they have what it takes to outplay the Chiefs in the end. They overcame their “deficit” demons against the Packers and Lions, and they played their best football coming out of the gate in the regular season while the Chiefs were shaky and inconsistent since Week 1. Despite their consistent success and the biggest names by the biggest stars of Kansas City, their exposure throughout the season will eventually bite them in the end.

MY PICK: 49ERS

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