OSWEGO COUNTY – After relying on its defense that pitched a shutout in the second half of the AFC Championship, the Kansas City Chiefs will return to its second straight Super Bowl and fourth in the Patrick Mahomes Era. Meanwhile the 49ers overcame the largest deficit in an NFC Championship, coming back from down 17, to create a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.
Super Bowl LVIII: Sunday, February 11
- (1) San Francisco 49ers (12-5) vs. (3) Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)
- 6:30 p.m. on CBS
- Spread: SF -2 | Total: o47.5
Like most of the regular season, offense was rather hard to come by for the Chiefs. Mahomes’ offense scored just 17 points in the 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, but it was enough as the defense forced timely turnovers.
With Ravens’ wideout Zay Flowers diving for the endzone, L’Jarius Sneed punched the ball out. Trent McDuffie recovered the fumble in the endzone resulting in zero points for the Ravens and the Chiefs’ possession. Later in the same fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson threw a ball into triple coverage. Instead of hitting his intended target Isaiah Likely, Deon Bush intercepted the pass in the endzone.
Offensively, the Chiefs relied on a steady run game and tight end Travis Kelce. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 68 yards while Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards. Both added touchdowns. Their combined 198 total rushing and passing yards accounted for 60% of the team’s total offense.
On the NFC-side, it was the Detroit Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness that sent his team home with a 34-31 defeat. The Lions were 1-3 on fourth down, including a failed attempt at the 49ers’ 28-yard line early in the second half. A field goal from that spot – a roughly 45-yarder – would have extended their lead back to 17 with about 22 minutes remaining. From that point, it was almost all San Francisco who would score three touchdowns and a field goal on their next four possessions.
Christian McCaffrey was his usual self, putting up two touchdowns and 132 total yards. Deebo Samuel, who was injured in the divisional round, tacked on eight receptions for 89 yards, and Brock Purdy finished the day 20-31 with 267 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Despite the offensive explosion, the 49ers defense was a cause for concern for the second straight week. The Lions ran all over San Francisco with David Montgomery rushing for 93 yards, just over half of the 182 total team yards. Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown had nine and seven receptions for 97 and 87 yards respectively.
What to Watch For:
For the Chiefs, a focus on the run game may be paramount. The team led the NFL in dropped passes with 44 in the regular season. Combining this with what has been a struggling run defense in San Francisco makes running the ball all that more important. Pacheco has excelled since taking over the starting role last season and is averaging 84.7 rushing yards per game in the postseason.
Mahomes is still expected to be great. He is averaging 240 passing yards per game in the playoffs and has yet to throw an interception. His offensive line has been just as good, allowing just two sacks in the three playoff games.
The 49ers ought to look to their defensive line to create some push, particularly Nick Bosa who led the team with 10.5 sacks in the regular season. Setting the edge and generating some pressure should keep Pacheco from running all over them.
On the offensive side of the ball, the 49ers have a slew of weapons, perhaps the best in the NFL, led by McCaffery, Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Purdy may look to get them the ball in space to open things up and let them use their sheer athleticism to make big plays. Purdy is 2-4 when throwing at least one interception this season and a perfect 10-0 when he does not. Playing a clean game will be critical, especially in the red zone, against a defense as stout as the Chiefs.
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