It’s that time of year again where the final two teams face off to win the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy to close out the 2023-2024 NFL season. After a long season and exciting playoffs, this Super Bowl will be one for the books with a rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.
This season was a rough one for Kansas City that ended in triumph with the team finally overcoming their regular season offensive struggles. They ended up winning two playoff games when presented as underdogs against the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. For San Francisco, they barely made it through beating the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions at home in order to make it to the big game.
With a lot riding on this moment in football history, having the two teams come back for a match up where everyone has something to gain is exciting. For the 49ers, it is all about beating the team that defeated them four years ago. For the Kansas City Chiefs, it means their fourth trip to the Super Bowl in the last six seasons and could potentially be the third Super Bowl win in the young career of Patrick Mahomes.
Fans this year should expect more attendance and attention on the game because there may be one special guest that has been riding with the team all season long. Taylor Swift, girlfriend of Kansas City tight end and future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, has been providing the team with a boost in popularity and outsiders a view into the sports world. But is that enough to win the big game?
In their last Super Bowl matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs managed a 31-20 victory over the 49ers, but this time San Francisco has a bit more fire in them to win. With old quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gone and a new start for Brock Purdy, the team has the potential to make a splash against the Chiefs.
The 49ers brought themselves back for consecutive playoff home wins and won the division round despite star wide receiver Deebo Samuel departing early with a shoulder injury. The 49ers have been favored over the field for most of the regular season and are the matchup favorite when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Vegas giving them a two-point advantage.
The Chiefs, presented as the losing team amongst conspiracy theories, pulled out in the end and clinched the win over the Ravens. Mahomes and Kelce provided offense and let their defense defend against Lamar Jackson to knock the Ravens out of the Super Bowl spot. Mahomes has had a masterful postseason with four touchdowns, zero turnovers and has been sacked just twice.
Kansas City certainly has an advantage in experience this season over San Francisco. The Chiefs are 13-2 in their last 15 playoff games. They have won and have beat the projected points set by sports betting in five straight games this season, creating upsets over the Bills and Ravens.
Both having gone through the trials of the Super Bowl, Mahomes and Kelce have created such a system that they have the win in their clutches. But will publicity and star-studded names like Taylor Swift come into play and change the outcome, pushing the Chiefs to win it all? With how the last game went with the controversial calls of holding, pass interference and interceptions in favor of the Chiefs, this game may end in the same manner.
Will history repeat itself or will the 49ers have their chance at redemption? The Super Bowl is set for Sunday at 6 p.m.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @49ers, X
