Super Bowl LIV Preview

By Peyton Schultze

In a battle of two extremely equal teams, x-factor players such as Tyreek Hill (above) have a chance to make a strong mark on Super Bowl LIV (via The Action Network).

Super Bowl. 49ers. Chiefs.

Although it has been somewhat of an up-and-down week around the sports world, the hype is slowly beginning to generate for one of the most exciting matchups in recent NFL history. With young superstars galore, the 49ers and Chiefs appear ready to engage in a Super Bowl classic that could go down in NFL history as one of the best ever. So who will come out on top, and who will have the biggest impact for both teams? Your questions and more are answered in the following.

Without further ado, here’s our preview to Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Who Are the Biggest X-Factors?

Rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel has a chance to make a huge impact in the Super Bowl with his unique blend of size and speed (via Niners Nation).

In terms of crucial x-factors that could decide Sunday’s matchup, there are plenty of worthy candidates that have potential to shine bright in front of millions. However, we’ll take one wide receiver from each team who performance could be crucial to their team’s success.

For the 49ers, rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel appears to be a player that could have a big game on Sunday if given the opportunity. Helping to spark a connection with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as the season moved along, Samuel is a key part of the Niners’ running and passing games when head coach Kyle Shanahan calls his name. With great size for a receiver and some of the best speed at the position in the league, Samuel could play a huge role on Sunday if Kansas City focuses on shutting down San Francisco’s other top weapons in Emmanuel Sanders and George Kittle. Watch for Samuel to find his way into the endzone at least once on Sunday and make a big-time play or two for the championship-hungry 49ers.

Meanwhile, Chiefs’ wide receiver Tyreek Hill is one of the league’s game-changing weapons on offense and always has a chance to take every ball he touches to the house. With his role as the fastest player in the NFL, Hill has become one of the best overall receivers in football who has formed a dangerous offensive connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Improving year after years in terms of his route running and hands, Hill could easily break off one or two massive plays for the Kansas City offense on any given down and shift the entire course of the game. Hill will be one of the players' that could decide the outcome of Super Bowl LIV, and it will be interesting to see the show that he puts on in front of the Miami home crowd.

Who Has the Coaching Edge?

Kyle Shanahan’s excellent stretch of playcalling is a major reason why the 49ers will be playing for their sixth championship in franchise history on Sunday (via Journal Star).

Even though Andy Reid is a future Hall of Fame coach, this one may come as a bit of a surprise. In a matchup of two of the top five coaches in the sport, it will be interesting to see which offensive playcaller has a better day on Sunday with the production from their players. However, riding high with some of the best, yet most simple, playcalling in recent years, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers actually own a slight advantage on Sunday.

Andy Reid is one of the great coaches of our time, and his earlier Super Bowl experience with the Eagles could be a major aspect of Kansas City’s success on Sunday, especially in Mahomes’ biggest game of his young career. However, many forget that Kyle Shanahan also has Super Bowl experience from his time with the Atlanta Falcons as their offensive coordinator in their devastating loss to the New England Patriots. Shanahan faced a lot of heat from that blown lead in that matchup, and he seems to have learned a lot from that game a few seasons ago when they decided to put the ball way too much in the hands of Matt Ryan with a big lead. Now, with Jimmy Garoppolo already facing plenty of heat in terms of his capability, look for Shanahan to turn toward his great running game once again on Sunday to set the physical tempo for the matchup.

Reid and Shanahan have faced some heat in the media over the course of their careers for how they handle clock management, and the Super Bowl could shed even more light upon the subject if it become a glaring problem. Reid is as good as they get in terms of preparation for an opponent, but we’ll take Shanahan with the coaching edge in the midst of his scolding hot playoff run.

Will Patrick Mahomes Face Any Struggles Against a Loaded San Francisco Defense?

Patrick Mahomes heads into the first Super Bowl of his career riding a red-hot playoff stretch with two straight outstanding games against the Texans and Titans (via Arrowhead Pride).

Patrick Mahomes is unquestionably the best quarterback in the NFL, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against perhaps the best defense in the league. With a nasty pass rush constantly pressuring him in the pocket and with one of the best secondaries in recent memory ready to strike on a game-changing play, Mahomes may have to make some big plays with his legs in order to generate first downs and stretch plays down the field for the KC offense.

Turnovers are going to be a gigantic part of this game, and Mahomes must be cautious with the ball if Kansas City wants to win on Sunday. Although the superstar quarterback and last year’s MVP is at his best when he is scrambling around and using his rocket arm to create big plays, the Chiefs could find themselves in a tough position if Mahomes decides to be too aggressive and sends the ball into the hands of a 49ers’ defender. However, this doesn’t mean that the Niners are going to completely stop Mahomes by any means. With his status as arguably the best player in all of football, Mahomes is almost impossible to contain with his receiving weapons on the outside constantly creating plays for him. While the Niners could cause more problems than usual for the Chiefs’ offense, expect Mahomes to get his typical numbers and get to the Chiefs to at least 30 points on offense.

Will the Chiefs’ Interior Line Be Able to Slow Down the 49ers’ Run Game?

Raheem Mostert has been on an absurd playoff streak behind a dominant San Francisco offensive line, and he’ll try to cap it off on Sunday against the Chiefs (via Dynasty Trade Calculator).

San Francisco’s last matchup against the Green Bay Packers was nothing short of a offensive masterpiece. Behind a fierce offensive line that consistently won at the point of attack, the 49ers were able to cruise all night long to a win behind 220 yards and four touchdowns from running back Raheem Mostert. Now, after the Chiefs just contained Derrick Henry to under 100 yards in the AFC Championship Game, can San Francisco repeat their performance?

Although the Chiefs’ defense is clicking right now, it is hard to imagine the 49ers’ rushing attack not having at least solid success in the Super Bowl. With a trio of running backs carrying the offense to immense success right now, San Francisco has been able to do anything they want with the ball in their hands. With the Chiefs coming off two straight great performances against the run in the playoffs, however, many think that Kansas City can stop that rushing attack and force quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to take over the game for the Niners. Although the Chiefs have some elite interior lineman such as Frank Clark and Chris Jones, the 49ers have the most underrated offensive line in all of football. The matchup between those two units could easily be what ends up deciding this game, and it will be fascinating to watch if the 49ers can cap off their ridiculous run of offensive football with a championship win on Sunday.

A Lower-Scoring Game or A Shootout?

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense is one of the most prolific scoring units in recent NFL history (via Chiefs Wire/USA Today).

Many people have pointed to past Super Bowl in an attempt to figure out how this game will pan out. Will it resemble the Patriots-Rams low-scoring snooze fest from a season ago, or will it follow more along the lines of the Patriots-Eagles shootout in Super Bowl LII?

One of the most likely things that will happen is this game is that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense will likely put up a decent amount of points on Sunday. Even with the mighty San Francisco defense looming and ready to cause havoc, it is very hard to imagine the Chiefs being anywhere under 20 points. Although more questions surround the ability of the 49ers’ passing game to keep up with the Chiefs, San Francisco has also proven to be effective enough on offense to guide them to two straight easy playoff wins in the NFC. And even if the Chiefs’ defense steps up and continues their recent stretch of solid play, it is hard to imagine a game that keeps the 49ers’ offense completely at bay.

So should potential bettors in Vegas go high, or go low? These two teams are clearly the most deserving teams to represent each conference in this year’s Super Bowl, and they both have enough weapons on both sides of the ball to cancel each other out. With superstar players galore all over the field at any moment, expect more of the same dominant play from both squads. We’ll take this game ending up in the low-to-mid 30’s in somewhat of a gunslingin’ offensive battle between two elite teams worthy of holding the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Bigger Game: Travis Kelce or George Kittle?

Travis Kelce’s spectacular connection with Patrick Mahomes makes him one of the best receiving targets in the league (via Sports Illustrated).

George Kittle earned First Team All-Pro honors for the year, with Travis Kelce finishing on the Second Team. They are clearly the two best tight ends in all of football, but whose star will shine brighter on Super Bowl Sunday.

It’s hard to ignore how vital Kittle is to the 49ers’ success on offense, especially with his ability to set key blocks in the run game. Even if the Chiefs’ defense focuses on stopping Kittle from breaking out in the passing game, look for the outstanding tight end to do something on offense that changes the course of the game in a major way. However, Travis Kelce has a chance to be one of the biggest difference makers on Sunday and presents some real matchup problems for the San Francisco defense, even with their awesome secondary. With great route running, a knack for finding open spaces for Mahomes, and some of the best hands among offensive players in the league, Kelce can be a nightmare to cover in both man and zone defenses. Even though Kittle should be able to put together an excellent performance of his own, Kelce will be one of the game’s shining stars under the bright lights of Super Bowl LIV.

Is this Jimmy Garoppolo’s Moment to Rise to the Occasion?

He has not had a huge game in the playoffs so far, but Jimmy Garoppolo has a chance to step up to the plate on Sunday with a big game (via Inside the 49).

One of the hottest stories surrounding the scene in Miami has been the debate about 49ers’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Does he have the ability to win the game for the Niners when they need him most? Will he fold under pressure in the big moment? Garoppolo has a lot on the line on Sunday, and has a chance to boost his personal legacy with a win against a great Kansas City team.

Although he didn’t do very much in the first two playoff games of his career as a starter, Garoppolo has had some bright moments over the course of the season for the 49ers. Mainly in key matchups on the road versus Arizona and New Orleans, the young quarterback found a way to deliver when the Niners needed him most with timely throws and clutch drives late in the game. Now, as San Francisco likely prepares to face a Kansas City defense that commits all it has toward stopping the Niners’ run game, Garoppolo might have to make a few big plays in the passing game over the course of the matchup if the Niners want to life their sixth Super Bowl trophy in franchise history.

He hasn’t always done it in a pretty way, but Garoppolo has simply done his job all season long for San Francisco. Looking like a product that was groomed perfectly coming out of New England, Garoppolo’s mix of poise, size, and aggressiveness has a chance to play a major role in the outcome on Sunday. Don’t expect 400 yards and three touchdowns, but expect the Niners’ signal caller to have the best game of his playoff career on Sunday afternoon.

Who Wins, and Who is the Super Bowl MVP?

The 49ers’ excellent defense has a chance to make a few big plays on defense that could shift the tide of the game (via The Action Network).

So who will head home on Sunday with the Lombardi Trophy? This is one of the hardest Super Bowls to predict in recent memory based on how equal both teams are, which makes it exciting to see what unfolds on Sunday. The 49ers appear to be the better team on paper with so much depth and versatility, but the Chiefs are the favorites headed into the game with how many weapons they have on offense, including perhaps the best player in football in quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both teams are firing on all cylinders right now with dominant play, and the game has a chance come down to which team plays cleaner football and wins the turnover battle.

The Chiefs really have it all: a great head coach, some superstar players, and the best quarterback in the league. Even though they didn’t have quite the regular season that the Niners did, they deserve to be favored heading into the game with how lethal their offense has been playing. But as other Super Bowls have shown, elite defenses can cause problems for elite offenses on the Super Bowl stage. This isn’t to say Mahomes will struggle at all, because he will likely wow the nation multiple times on Sunday with his rare skillset. However, the Niners’ defense has exactly what it takes to at least limit the Chiefs’ offense. With the best secondary and the best pass rush that the Chiefs have faced all year, San Francisco could shock the world and present some major issues for the Chiefs on Sunday.

However, this will put the pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers’ offense to take off and get them over the hump. Garoppolo has had somewhat of a bad reputation follow him based off his recent play, but he may be forced to throw a lot more on Sunday if they want to win. Even though the Chiefs’ defense will also continue their solid play, Garoppolo, Mostert, and the rest of the Niners’ underrated weapons on offense will be able to move the ball enough to put up a lot of points. Turnovers have a chance to decide this game, and even though we trust Mahomes more than Garoppolo in that department, we’ll take the Niners by inches based off how dominant their pass rush on defense is. In a nail-biting finish, we’ll take the 49ers over the Chiefs by a score of 34-30.

As for the Super Bowl MVP, even though the Niners’ defense will make some huge plays against Mahomes to set up some exceptional field position, we’ll take Niners’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to carry the hardware in the end. It remains to be seen if he can be the reason behind a San Francisco win in the playoffs, but we love what we have seen late in 4th quarters from the quarterback all season long. With 270 passing yards, two touchdowns, and some clutch throws late in the 4th quarter, Garoppolo and the Niners will raise the Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time in franchise history on Sunday in Miami.