On Sunday, Feb. 2, we’ll finally see the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers battle it out in Super Bowl LIV for the ultimate prize: the Lombardi Trophy.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen two teams this dominant but also vastly different play in a Super Bowl playing to their strengths.
Strength vs. Strength in Super Bowl LIV
The Magical Arm of Patrick Mahomes
For Kansas City, they’ll be led by last season’s MVP in Patrick Mahomes who fell just short of reaching this game a year ago. Mahomes’ big arm and big-play ability has led to one of the most exciting offenses in league history.
Surrounded by weapons such as Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Damien Williams, and other unsung heroes, Mahomes can throw a touchdown pass on seemingly almost every play.
We’ve seen it throughout their entire playoff run that they’re capable of chunk play after chunk play and that no deficit is insurmountable.
Throw in the fact that Mahomes has yet to turn the ball over and you can’t have a great winning-success method. He’s been a living, breathing nightmare for opposing teams trying to stop him.
Mahomes has thrown eight touchdowns and 614 yards so far in the 2019 playoffs in two games. Both have been herculean efforts that we’ve seen before from past playoff legends, but none have made it look this effortless.
However, San Franciso has the recipe to keeping Mahomes off the field …
San Francisco’s Ground Attack
San Francisco will not be led by the arm of Jimmy Garoppolo — who never threw the ball more than 20 times in the past two games — but rather by their feared three-headed rushing attack in Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman, and Raheem Mostert.
While the status of Coleman has yet to be determined after separating his shoulder in the NFC Championship Game, Mostert was still enough to gash the Green Bay Packers for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
The dominance of their run game — which has been established the entire season — has been their calling card this year. While Garoppolo has shown he can sling the rock around, why bother when you have backs running through holes the size of a crater?
A week prior to their playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, Coleman was the featured back with 105 rushing yards and two scores.
Their ground game has pounded the opposition early and often that before you know it, the opposing team is already trailing by two or three scores.
It must be frustrating to know and watch this San Francisco team run the ball down your throat … when you know it’s coming and still powerless to stop it.
In a league known for its prolific passing attack, San Francisco has stayed with their ground game and it has literally taken them to Super Bowl LIV.
Any of these three running backs can take the reigns of the offense and simply take over. And San Francisco knows this by letting premium players such as George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk block downfield.
It’s maddening for opposing defensive coordinators, but no one has really had an answer for it.
Who’s Going to Blink?
Both teams have played to their strengths this season and are majorly the reason why they’re playing in Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes can pick you apart with his arm and San Francisco’s Cerebus can run for miles while putting up points.
Pitting strength versus strength should make Super Bowl LIV extremely enjoyable to watch — and will probably come down to a second or third factor by each team once triple zeros hit.
Super Bowl Sunday can not come soon enough.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
