The 100th season of the National Football League reaches its zenith this Sunday night, when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers meet in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
The NFL championship offers up an extremely tantalizing battle between two very different teams: the Chiefs and their electrifying offence against the defensively stout 49ers.
And whether you have watched one or the previous 53 Super Bowls, you know that Sunday is more than just a game.
It’s also about the commercials that cost $5.5 million each, the exorbitant amount of food and beverages that fans will consume, the billions of dollars in legal and illegal bets that will be made, and the halftime show.
According to StubHub, those who will be attending the game at Hard Rock Stadium will pay an average of $6,414 per ticket on the secondary market. The cheapest price is $4,975.
As for the game itself, this one falls into the too-close-to-call or flip-a-coin category.
Before the season began I picked the Chiefs to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 54 and while I got half the finalists right — sorry Eagles fans — I am not about to jump ship and change my selection.
Patrick Mahomes, in just his second season as Kansas City‘s starter, is one of the best and most exciting players in the NFL and as evidence by the Chiefs’ 24-point comeback against the Houston Texans in the second round of the playoffs they should never be counted out.
With all due respect to San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners great run game, the matchup that will determine which team wins on Sunday will be the Chiefs offence versus the 49ers defence.
The fact of the matter is as good as San Fran’s defence has been this season — and it’s been exceptional — I don’t think they’ve faced anything close to what K.C. brings to the table.
Yes, the 49ers outgunned New Orleans Saints and their high-powered offence led by Drew Brees and Michael Thomas, and San Fran only lost by three points against the Baltimore Ravens and their top-rated offence, but the Chiefs are a different animal.
San Francisco has a fantastic defensive line (Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford) but even if they do get pressure on Mahomes he is so good at throwing the ball from any angle that I have to give the advantage to K.C.
Will the 49ers be able to cover all of Mahomes’ weapons, like super tight end Travis Kelce, speedy receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, and running back Damien Williams?
The biggest question facing San Francisco is if the 49ers fall behind can Garoppolo trade punches with Mahomes?
My answer is no. Chiefs win 31-24.
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