Super Bowl LVIII is less than a week away, as the Kansas City Chiefs will battle the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11th in the biggest game of the year. With the world’s eyes on Vegas for this highly-anticipated matchup, here are five intriguing storylines to watch as the teams look to be crowned champions.
Dynasty in the making
The last time the Chiefs and 49ers faced off in the Super Bowl was in Super Bowl LIV when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs stormed back in the fourth quarter, winning the game 31-20 to conquer their first Super Bowl title in the Mahomes-Kelce era.
Now, four years later, the Chiefs will appear in their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, looking to win back-to-back titles after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a thriller last season.
If the Chiefs beat the Niners and win their third ring in half a decade, this team will be amongst the best teams in NFL history with no signs of slowing down with Mahomes at quarterback.
From Mr. Irrelevant to Mr. Champion
On the San Francisco side, Brock Purdy can be the first “Mr. Irrelevant” – the title given to the last pick in the NFL Draft – to win a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback.
The 262nd overall pick in the 2022 Draft has had an astronomical rise to fame, starting the 2022 season as the fourth-string quarterback to now being one of five finalists for the league’s MVP in 2023.
The Arizona-native will look to follow in the footsteps of 49ers legend Joe Montana and lead the Niners to a Super Bowl title early in his career.
Best tight end ever (Kelce’s Version)
Travis Kelce has had an “Enchanted” NFL career that’s been beyond his “Wildest Dreams,” as the 34-year-old will look to add to his “Bejeweled” Hall of Fame resume. Kelce currently ranks fourth all-time among tight ends in receiving yards (11,328) and receptions (907), while being tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (74).
However, when it comes to championships, Kelce could join the elite company with another title on Sunday.
If Kelce can win his third Super Bowl title, he would join Rob Gronkowski and Shannon Sharpe as the only other tight ends with three or more rings and four or more first-team all-pro selections – cementing Kelce as one of the greatest tight ends ever.
Great offence vs. Great defence
Super Bowl LVIII will feature San Francisco’s superb offence battling Kansas City’s underrated defence.
The Niners’ offence led by Purdy and a plethora of skilled players – Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and others – averaged the second-most yards per game in the regular season (398.4) while scoring the third-highest points per game (28.9).
However, they’ll be tested on Sunday, facing a Chiefs defence that limited opponents to only 289.8 yards and 17.3 points per game, both second-best in the league. Will the 49ers offence find a way to break through, or will the Chiefs defence continue to dominate opponents?
Protecting the football
The Niners have done a good job protecting the ball this season, committing the sixth-fewest turnovers (18), while forcing 28 turnovers, resulting in a +10 turnover differential.
Conversely, limiting giveaways has been Kansas City’s Achilles’ heel, having turned the ball over 28 times – 17 interceptions and 11 fumbles – tied for seventh most in the league this season, leading to a -11 turnover differential.
If the reigning champs have any chance at defending their throne, they’ll need to clean up the turnovers, and quite possibly force a few 49ers turnovers of their own.
For more information on Super Bowl LVIII, head to nfl.com.
