February 2, 2020. The day football fans have been waiting for…. The Super Bowl. This year’s Super Bowl consists of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams consist of high powered offenses. Both teams have amazing offensive minds, amazing quarterbacks, and an amazing offensive line. The Chiefs are a 1.5 point favorite by Vegas. In this case, I disagree with Vegas. I think the 49ers are going to win this game. Here are the reasons why:
- 49ers Running Game
The 49ers rushing attack has been amazing. In the NFC Championship, Raheem Mostert ran for four touchdowns. Kyle Shanahan has an amazing offensive mind and finds ways to run the ball in creative ways. Shanahan also has some amazing blocking schemes along with the 49ers already stout offensive line. The effectiveness of the running game will allow the 49ers to hold the ball and keep the Chiefs’ biggest weapon, Patrick Mahomes, off the field. The Niners have done this all year and are very good at finishing in the Red Zone. Some people may say that the Chiefs can stop the running game, the same way they stopped Derrick Henry and Tennessee’s rushing attack. To that, I say that the 49ers have had a bye, so they are not as fatigued, and the 49ers have three solid backs. This means that the backs will have fresher legs, and can rotate in the game. This will keep the Chiefs from being able to shut down the running game.
- 49ers Defense
The 49ers have the perfect defense to counter the high powered Chiefs offense. The Niners have an amazing pass rush highlighted by rookie Nick Bosa. The men up front for the 49ers won’t allow Mahomes all day to throw deep to Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, and company. The Niners’ defensive play Zone a majority of the time with their best corner being Richard Sherman. This will keep Tyreek Hill from breaking long, deep routes that we have grown accustomed to. To this people would say the Chiefs will run crossers and curls. To that, I saw that the Chiefs use 11 personnel for the most part. This means that the Chiefs usually have four receivers, one tight end, and one running back in the game. This leads to the use of vertical routes. Even if the team does adjust to this the 49ers athletic linebacker Kwon Alexander will be able to sit in zone coverage and matchup with the Damien Williams, Running Back, or Travis Kelce, Tight End. The 49ers also have athletic Safeties that can deal with the crossers and curls. The Chiefs will score, but I think the 49ers defense can make more stops and can create tough situations for the high flying offense.
- Sluggish Starts
The Chiefs in every playoff game have had sluggish starts. They were able to comeback against the Texans due to bad play calling offensively by Bill O’Brien. Against the Titans, the Titans offense was not explosive enough. I know that the Chiefs defense was able to stop Derrick Henry, but they did give up deep touchdown passes to Ryan Tannehill. The 49ers are able to do the same thing, but with three backs, an all-pro tight end, and some speedsters on the outside. The Chiefs sluggish starts won’t cut it against the Niners. Kyle Shanahan always draws up incredible plays and puts his team in the right spot. The Niners don’t turn the ball over. They control the ball and keep the other team off the field.
For all of these reasons I think the 49ers will win the game. It will be a close, fun Super Bowl, but I expect the 49ers to run the ball a lot with some play action passes mixed in.
What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below.
Aaman Patel Sports News 