After 21 weeks of football, (18-week regular season, wild card weekend, divisional round playoff, conference championship) only two teams remain: the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs – who will play in Super Bowl LVII Sunday in Las Vegas.
The 49ers enter the matchup with a 14-5 record while the Chiefs enter with a 14-6 record. Should the Chiefs come out on top, they will become the first repeat champions in nearly two decades, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes going for his third Super Bowl win in five years.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Brock Purdy, the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft (AKA Mr. Irrelevant) will look to lead his 49’ers squad to a record-tying sixth Super Bowl, joining the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. Purdy will also become the 8th quarterback in NFL history to make the Super Bowl in one of his first two seasons.
Making it to the Super Bowl takes talent, grit, and often some luck. Because of this, it is a rarity to make it there, let alone do it twice. It is even more of a rarity to get a chance to play the same team that you lost to in the Super Bowl again. But that’s the case this year.
The last time these two teams played, Mahomes and the Chiefs claimed their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. But the 49ers will look to put that blown 4th quarter, 10-point lead past them and win their first Super Bowl since 1995. Just as they were in 2022, the Chiefs are once again considered the underdogs against the 49ers.
I predict that the Chiefs have had the 49ers number the past few years, and that will continue Sunday. Despite the Chiefs hitting some rough patches this season, they have been on a hot streak lately, and peaking at the right time. While the 49’ers have many offensive weapons at their disposal, namely, Geroge Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffery, and Deebo Samuel, they also have Purdy leading the squad. As talented as he is, he is still only 24 years old, and has never been to a Super Bowl.
I have no doubt the 49ers will claim a Super Bowl during the Purdy era – it just won’t happen this year.
