Niners to win sixth Lombardi
It’s that time of year again when the best from the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference come together to battle it out for the National Football League’s Super Bowl to see who will take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Super Bowl will see the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
This year’s big game will be a little bit different from previous years as this was the NFL’s 100th season. This is also the first year since 2016 that the New England Patriots wont be participating, which is a relief for me as Colts fan.
The 49ers are coming into Miami after a strong 13-3 regular season record and they demolished both teams they faced in the NFC playoffs — beating the Vikings, 27-10 in the divisional round and the Green Bay Packers, 37-20, in the NFC Championship.
The Niners are led on offense by ex-Patriot backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (27 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 3,978 yards and a 102 QB rating), tight end George Kittle (85 receptions, 1,053 yards and five touchdowns) and backup running back Tevin Coleman (137 carries, 544 yards and six touchdowns). The defense is led by Super Bowl veteran cornerback Richard Sherman (48 tackles and three interceptions), defensive lineman DeForest Buckner (34 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles) and tackle Joe Staley.
The Chiefs are coming into Miami with a 12-4 record, and sat at the second seed in the AFC, and are the underdogs in the contest because most people expected the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens to be contenders in the AFC Championship, but that dream was crushed by the Tennessee Titans.
Aside from that, the Chiefs seemed to struggle in their playoff games before beating the Houston Texans, 51-31, in the divisional round, and Tennessee Titans, 35-24, in the AFC Championship.
The Chiefs are led by Texas-native quarterback Pat Mahomes (26 touchdowns, five interceptions, 4,031 yards and a 76.3 QB rating), and tight end Travis Kelce (97 receptions, 1229 yards, and five touchdowns). The defense is led by safety Tyrann Mathieu (63 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions) and linebacker Anthony Hitchens (51 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble).
The 49ers overall franchise record in the Super Bowl is 5-1, and they were last seen at the big game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, when they lost, 34-31.
The Chiefs sit at 1-1 in Super Bowls and were one of the first teams in the game when they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-10, in 1966. The Chiefs have not tasted a Super Bowl victory since 1970 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, to win their only Super Bowl in franchise history, so their fans are famished for another Lombardi.
I believe the 49ers will take the Lombardi Trophy home for the sixth time as they have the No. 1 defense when it comes allowing passing and rushing yards with 252.5 and 41.5 respectively. The Chiefs, in comparison, have allowed 368.5 yards passing and 89.5 in rushing. The 49ers also lead the league in rushing offense with 235.5 yards per game against the Chiefs 115. However, the Chiefs lead the league in total offensive yards with 530 against the 49ers 331.
This will actually be the first game that I will sit and watch without having to look forward to the commercials or falling asleep, like last year, when the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3. However, I could be wrong and it might be the most tedious game in the history of the Super Bowl and I’ll just look forward to Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s halftime performance.
Cade’s pick —
35-28 Niners.
49ers Analysis
Regular Season Stats
Total First Downs — 336
Third Down Conversions — 90/200
Fourth Down Conversions — 7/12
Total Offensive Yards — 6097
Total Rushing Yards — 2305
Total Passing Yards — 3792
Sacks — 48
Field Goals — 30/39
Touchdowns — 56
Time of Possession — 31:37
Turnover Ratio — 4+
Punt Returns — 33
Chiefs Analysis
Regular Season Stats
Total First Downs — 350
Third Down Conversions — 89/187
Fourth Down Conversions — 6/10
Total Offensive Yards — 6067
Total Rushing Yards — 1569
Total Passing Yards — 4498
Sacks — 45
FG — 34/38
Touchdowns — 50
Time of Possession — 29:27
Turnover Ratio — +8
Punt Returns — 32