It has been a while since a Super Bowl has appeared to be such a toss-up. This one between the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and the AFC champ Kansas City Chiefs is a difficult game to judge.
The 49ers have gone from the No. 2 pick in the draft last April to the verge of another championship. The Chiefs were in the AFC title contest last year and fell in overtime.
In 2019, both teams were dynamic and won a bunch of big games. Now they meet in the biggest one.
So who will take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy? Here are predictions from the ABC15 sports team.
Sport director Craig Fouhy
This week’s line is one of the closest in Super Bowl history with the Chiefs coming in as 1-to-1.5 point favorites. That makes Sunday’s game extremely difficult to predict.
This game will come down to the battle in the trenches. The 49ers have, arguably the best front four in football, but the Chiefs have a solid offensive line.
Then there’s the 49ers rushing attack on offense, but since mid-season, the Chiefs have held opponents to just over 4-yards per carry. So again, a great battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The Chiefs held Tennessee running back Derrick Henry to just 69-yards rushing in the AFC Championship, so don’t downplay the ability of the Chiefs defense either.
In the battle at quarterback, I’ll take Patrick Mahomes all day long over Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the 49ers pass defense will be a challenge for the young gunslinger.
In the end, this is probably a toss-up, but I’ll take Kansas City’s offensive fire-power over the Niners ground game.
Kansas City 37, San Francisco 24
Sports anchor Collin Harmon
When Super Bowl LIV is all said and done, I expect the team wearing red to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Oh, you want me to be more specific? Well, let’s try this on for size.
My first instinct was the Chiefs. They have Patrick Mahomes, and I have a hard time picking against the best quarterback in the NFL. They have the fastest receiver group in the league, and that’s a bad matchup for the 49ers secondary. And while this has no effect on the outcome of the game, I would love to see Andy Reid finally get over the hump and win one.
But, the 49ers just have a team of destiny fealing to me. I don’t say that in an underdog sort of way, after all, they are the top seed in the NFC. But I’ve been waiting for them to collapse and show us who they really are all season long, and here we are 18 games later. The way they manhandled the Packers in the trenches on both sides of the ball was eye-opening. It doesn’t matter how explosive the Chiefs receivers are if that 49ers pass rush has its way again. But unlike the NFC Championship, I do think Jimmy Garoppolo will actually have to throw a pass in the third quarter to win this game.
The Chiefs have been able to sleepwalk through the first quarter in the playoffs, but the 49ers aren’t the Houston Texans or Tennessee Titans. They showed the Packers what happens if you don’t come ready to play. I’m riding the wave like Raheem Mostert and going with the Niners.
49ers 34, Chiefs 28
