NFL Super Bowl, Tips and Previews

Super Bowl Odds: Chiefs ($2.12) and 49ers ($1.75).

Last Time They Met: The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 44-23 (2022).

After five months, 18 rounds and a spectacular playoff series, Super Bowl LVIII is upon us as the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers prepare to do battle in Las Vegas.

Despite winning two of the last four NFL titles and boasting arguably the player of a generation in Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs don’t have the unflappable support of the market this time around at $2.12, with punters gravitating to Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers at $1.75.

San Francisco, however, will first need to shake off any memories of Super Bowl LIV, where they fell to the Chiefs 31-20 in Florida. They’ll need to erase the last five years of history whereby they’ve made four Conference Championship games but have no silverware in the mantlepiece.  

The 49ers were outstanding in the NFC West with a 12-5 record but have since failed to fire on all cylinders with comeback victories over the Packers and Lions en route to the decider. While they managed to win both game by three points, they’ll need their second-ranked offense of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk to find their range in the first half.

McCaffrey ranked #1 for rushing throughout the regular season with 1,459y and has continued his hot form with 90+ and two touchdowns in both playoff games.

As for the we-thought-they-were-done Chiefs, they’ve recaptured their championship form in a big way over the playoff series with wins over the Dolphins (26-7), Bills (27-24) and Ravens (17-10). Even more impressively, the previous two were away from home.

Two-time MVP and star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has led from the front during the Chiefs’ resurgence, while Travis Kelce had pieced together two playoff games with 100y and multiple touchdowns. While their two stars have dominated, Isiah Pacheco led the post-season with 254 rushing yards.

The defense will likely win this year’s title, and it just so happens that, despite their 11-6 regular season record, the Chiefs still boast the second-best defense in the League. Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill and Justin Reid all rank in the top eight for total tackles.  

The champs have found their best form at the right time of the season, which should prove too much for the 49ers. But with two star-studded line-ups, there’ll be plenty of high-class action along the way.