The time is now for the full official breakdown of Super Bowl LIV. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will play for it all on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we described the good, bad and ugly of each team. Now it’s time to give a full game breakdown and pick a winner.
The 49ers will face their most robust opposition this season in the Chiefs. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his offense have been on fire the last two weeks and will try to continue to light up the NFL world. The main issue for the Chiefs has been the fact that their hot offense starts off cold. In both playoff games, they fell behind early and then needed to snap back quickly. If they can get their offense rolling more quickly, the game could be over in an instant.
It’s hard to think that even the 49ers defense will be able to slow down Mahomes. However, if the team can’t run the ball, the pass rush for the 49ers will dominate. It could be a tough day at the office for Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid.
It looks like quarterback Jimmy Garappolo could be the leading impact player for the 49ers’ offense. Raheem Mostert has been running like a bat out of hell and will likely be the hot hand on Sunday. The thing that makes Garappolo the main factor for the matchup is the two-week preparation that both teams had before the Super Bowl. The Chiefs will focus on stopping the run, with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders as offensive weapons. The 49ers could bully the Chiefs’ defensive backs.
With all of that said and with the good, bad and ugly for each team out of the way, here is who I think will win Super Bowl LIV: The 49ers will take a 31-27 thriller at Hard Rock Stadium.
It comes down to looking at how dominant the 49ers can be. Garappolo, who is very underrated, is someone who shows up when needed. The media is forgetting his talent. He was the heir apparent to Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. in New England. He was seen like a son to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Belichick tried to push Brady out multiple times and only traded Garappolo because management ordered the change.
If Belichick had it his way, Garappolo would still be a Patriot and who knows where Brady would be. Take that all in. Bill Belichick, one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history, was ready to get rid of the GOAT, all for Garappolo. He knew what he was doing sending him to San Francisco.
The 49ers are a dominant team. The Chiefs will punch them in the mouth, but you can’t pick them over the 49ers. Defense, offense and a head coach who was up 28-3 before losing to Brady and the Patriots as an offensive coordinator in Atlanta. Andy Reid is as hungry for a ring as Shanahan, but it’s 49ers all the way for Super Bowl LIV.
