Super Bowl LVIII Preview: It’s ‘Goliath Vs. Goliath’

This isn’t their first rodeo. In 2020, the San Fransisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs played for the Lombardi trophy at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Next weekend, they’ll face off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Few teams have been as closely associated with the Super Bowl as the Chiefs and 49ers. It’s no surprise that they’ve matched up again. In fact, both teams have the same head coach as four years ago. Both general managers haven’t changed. Even the quarterback schemes are the same, even if one was swapped out for a certain ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ a couple of years ago.

So will Super Bowl LVIII just be more of the same as Super Bowl LIV?

Not exactly.

Let’s start with the 49ers.

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Better known as ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy came into the league with low expectations as the last pick in the draft. Now, in his second year in the league, he’ll lead his team in the Super Bowl. Similar to former 49ers quarterback in 2020, Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy isn’t the best player on the 49ers offense. They’ve got stars in every skill position. The combination of running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk will be difficult to contain for the Chiefs’ defense. If head coach Kyle Shanahan can get the ball in his star’s hands, there’s just no telling how much they’ll be able to produce. On defense, Shanahan will have an opportunity to get through the Chiefs’ offensive line with their starting tackle Joe Thuney working through an injury.

And in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes has done it again. Many NFL experts doubted the Chiefs when they hit their mid-season slump, losing key games to the Eagles, Packers, Bills and Raiders. They didn’t look the same. Then, they came back and clinched a division title, locking in their position as the number three seed in the AFC. With tight postseason wins against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and number one-seeded Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs proved their ability to perform on the road in the playoffs. Except for Travis Kelce, Mahomes doesn’t have the same quality in the skill positions as Purdy. Kelce also struggled at points throughout the season but seems to have summoned a different level in his game for the playoffs. Many experts believe that the Chiefs’ chances in this game will come down to the production between Mahomes and Kelce, and looking at their past playoff performances, it’s hard to tell them that they’re wrong.

“You’ve got a little David vs. Goliath here, with the Niners being Goliath,” one AFC executive said. “But maybe Mahomes is Goliath.”

Will “Mr.Irrelevant” finally become relevant? Or will Mahomes build on his GOAT status and earn his second Super Bowl ring in a row and third altogether? Find out on Sunday.

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