Super Bowl Predictions

It’s time to predict the final NFL game of the season. My playoff prediction record is 7-5. I do find it funny that the two picks I made out of spite (Packers over Cowboys and Buccaneers over Eagles) I got right, yet the conference championship game picks where I did hours and hours of research I got wrong. Will I remember this when it comes to my March Madness picks next month? Spoiler alert: Nope! 

Let's get to the teams in the big game. 

Chiefs 

Did you know this team was once a lovable underdog? Nowadays that seems surprising. This team is hated by every whackadoo on social media who’s sick of Tayler Swift showing up at games.  Which reminds me, did you know Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are dating? 

The Chiefs embrace the fact that people are sick of them winning. But this iteration of the Chiefs is significantly different then last year's Super Bowl champions. For starters, their defense is the strength of the team while the offense is inconsistent. While the offense still has Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco, their receivers are the main weakness as they have guys whose hands are as inconsistent as the officials.  The game will come down to their defense which is led by Chris Jones and Nick Bolton. But as long as they have Mahomes and Andy Reid they will be a team to fear if it’s close in the final two minutes. And we know from last year that if it comes down to a questionable pass interference call, Kansas City is in great shape!

49ers 

The San Francisco 49ers, led by head coach Kyle Shanahan, bring a formidable and balanced team to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Brock Purdy will be looking to have a better performance than Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019.  Their offense has guys like Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Geroge Kittle to give Purdy reliable targets. There is also a guy named Christan McCaffery in the backfield. Maybe you’ve heard of him? The Niners definitely don’t lack firepower.

This 49ers' defense is also legit with a dominant pass rush led by Nick Bosa. But it’s linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw who will be crucial. With the Chiefs averaging 127.3 yards rushing in three playoff wins, Warner and Greenlaw will have to quickly key and diagnose the run game, play downhill, and impact the passing game. If the Chiefs can run the ball and control the clock this weekend like they did against Baltimore, San Francisco is in trouble. If the defensive ends get tired and Chase Young has to come in and help on running downs, the Niners have no chance at all. We saw that a lot in Washington and it never ends well.

Prediction

According to my floor poll, the Chiefs are favored by 30 people while the 49ers are favored by three. This seems suspicious. Could an overzealous Swiftie have voted multiple times? Probably. Am I going to accuse any Taylor Swift I may personally know? I am not. I don’t have a death wish. There’s no bad blood here at Sloan!

That being said, am I going to pick the Chiefs? Nope because I’m a slow learner. 

The 49ers win, Kyle Shanahan ends his curse of blowing leads, and the TV cameras catch Taylor Swift yawning a lot in her suite. It’s not her fault though – the jet lag from Tokyo will do that to anyone.

49ers 34, Chiefs 31