Sports editor Jonathan Bym’s reasons why the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl…
The favorite to win Super Bowl LIV is the Chiefs with their high-powered offense. And while Vegas has the Chiefs as just a 1 1/2-point favorite, the favorites are 33-19 overall in Super Bowls.
Kansas City’s offense has been held under three touchdowns one time this season, that coming in Week 5 in a loss to Indianapolis. For the past two seasons, there hasn’t been a more electrifying quarterback in the league than Patrick Mahomes and his arsenal of weapons to throw to.
Because of the offense, it’s hard to count out the Chiefs, even when they are down. Just look at what happened two weeks ago against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional round game when Kansas City fell in a 24-0 hole before earning a 20-point win.
A lot of talk has been made about the run game San Francisco has, and the Chiefs have already proven their ability to stop the run against the best running back in this year’s playoffs in the AFC title game when they held Derrick Henry to 69 yards rushing.
My prediction is a good offensive game, with Kansas City claiming their second Super Bowl, 35-27.
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Sports writer Chris Stiles’ resasons why the San Francisco 49ers will win the Super Bowl…
For all of the attention being shown to the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense — and rightfully so, given their performances throughout the season and especially in their two playoff wins — the San Francisco 49ers’ defense enters Super Bowl LIV quietly, as the best defense the Chiefs have faced.
This isn’t to suggest they’ll hold the Chiefs to just a score or two — Patrick Mahomes & Co. are just too good for that — but the 49ers defense can get some stops using the secondary speed and up-front physicality they’ve shown all season.
The Niners have allowed the least total yards of any team since 2009, and can pressure Mahomes without blitzing, as they have a league-high 40 sacks on non-blitz plays.
If the San Francisco defense does get some stops and the offense doesn’t have to score every possession to keep up, their run game that was so efficient against Green Bay two weeks ago coupled with a capable passer in Jimmy Garropolo can generate enough offense to deliver the 49ers a sixth championship.
Underdogs are 13-5 against the spread in the last 18 Super Bowls, and beating a 1 1/2-point spread usually means winning the game outright — and the 49ers will do just that, 34-31.
