Game: San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs
Date & Time: Sunday February 2nd, 2020, 6:30 (EST)
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
The Line: Kansas City Chiefs -1.5, O/U 54
TV Channel: FOX
Offense vs. Defense. Mahomes against the 49ers D. A contrast of styles in our Super Bowl matchup as the Chiefs look to defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
NFL Regular Season Record: 60-50-3
NFL Playoff Record: 5-5
San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs Preview
It’s hard to complain about this Super Bowl LIV matchup. In it we get to see Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in his first Super Bowl, and almost assuredly not his last. On the opposite end, the San Francisco 49ers boast one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory. These teams have contrasting styles, in a classic Offense V. Defense heavyweight fight.
Down 17-7 in the AFC Championship, the Chiefs were on the ropes. Tennessee had been there before, up on a heavily favored opponent and an early lead. The Chiefs had to do something quickly before the Titans strategy of running Derrick Henry down their throat came to fruition. Luckily for Chiefs fans, Mahomes took matters into his own hands. He hit Tyreek Hill for a 20 yard score with around 4 minutes left in the first half, and with 11 seconds left, he had his signature playoff moment.
Mahomes dropped back and escaped to his left due to pressure. Instead of going out of bounds, Mahomes ran up the sideline, breaking 3-4 tackles in the process, to give the Chiefs the lead before halftime with a 27 yard TD run. From that point on, the Chiefs never looked back in a 35-24 victory.
Although the 49ers were the 1-seed in the NFC playoff bracket, not many picked them to make it all the way to the big game. Instead of letting their expectations define them, they used them as motivation, completing a dominating 2-game stretch against the Vikings and Packers.
In their 37-20 NFC Championship victory, the score does not do justice to their impressive performance. On the back of Raheem Mostert, they took a 27-0 lead into halftime against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Rodgers is one of the most talented QBs ever, but in 2 meetings against the Niners this season, he had no answers. This defense is talented on all 3 levels of the field, and consistently make life difficult for opposing offenses week in and week out.
San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs Key Stats
- This is the Chiefs first Super Bowl appearance since 1970
- Patrick Mahomes has thrown 8 TDs to 0 Int this postseason
- Jimmy Garappolo only attempted 8 passes in the NFC Championship
San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs Betting Lines
- The O/U for the game is 54
- The Chiefs are 1.5 point favorites on Draftkings
- The Chiefs are -122 on the ML, 49ers +108
Super Bowl LIV Pick
This game has an early feel of a classic in the making. Patrick Mahomes is getting his first taste of the big stage, and Jimmy Garappolo is looking to prove that although the 49ers have a dominant rushing attack and defense, he can win the game himself if he has to.
The Chiefs offense can score on anyone. Coming into this game though, I’m leaning early on the 49ers being able to slow him down better than most. Their defense doesn’t let up many big plays, and will look to contain Tyreek Hill deep and Kelce underneath. The 49ers have the talent to do it, and it will be up to their pass rush to keep Mahomes under duress.
The 49ers want to run the Chiefs out of this game. Running back Raheem Mostert had a legendary NFC Championship, rushing for 220 yards and 4 TDs. Mostert is one of three running backs who could start for most NFL teams on the 49ers. Their rushing attack isn’t their only weapon though, as George Kittle had proven to be almost unguardable from the TE spot, and Emmanuel Sanders can beat most teams deep on command. The key matchup in this game? George Kittle against Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu.
In the end, I don’t think it’s Mahomes time to win one yet. Each legend in the making has hiccups early on, and I think the 49ers have a much deeper team, and are all-around the better team. The public seems to be backing the Chiefs, but I’ve been burned by picking against the 49ers before. I won’t make that mistake again, and am taking the 49ers to win outright.
