The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are set to go at it in Super Bowl LVIII Sunday afternoon from Las Vegas.
It is one of the most-anticipated Super Bowls in modern history with these two teams going at it for the second time in five years. Patrick Mahomes is attempting to lead his Chiefs to back-to-back Lombardi trophies while young quarterback Brock Purdy is looking to etch his name in franchise lore with all-time greats such as Joe Montana and Steve Young.
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San Francisco finds itself as minor two-point favorites against the defending champs, meaning that the betting world expects this to be a close game. Let’s check in below on five bold predictions for Super Bowl LVIII.
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Travis Kelce burns San Francisco 49ers with 10 receptions
Kelce’s past 12 playoff games have seen him combine to catch 104 passes. That included an 81-yard performance in last season’s Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles. To say that he’s been on an historic stretch in the postseason would be an understatement.
Surprisingly, Kelce combined for 23 catches in the three playoff games leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. He had struggled to the tune of 23 catches in Kansas City’s final five regular-season outings.
Despite the 49ers’ overall solid play on defense during the regular season, they did struggle to an extent against tight ends. That included players at this position racking up 88 catches in 17 games.
Obviously, the top matchup here is Fred Warner going up against Kelce. The All-Pro linebacker did pick off four passes in the regular season. He also yielded a 73.7% catch rate when targeted. Even with Tashaun Gipson providing help over the top, this is going to be no small easy task for San Francisco’s defense. Look for Kelce to take advantage with a double-digit catch performance.
Related: Comparing Travis Kelce to George Kittle heading into Super Bowl LVIII
Nick Bosa gets to Patrick Mahomes for two sacks
Mahomes was sacked just 27 times in 16 games during the regular season. He went down a mere two times in three AFC Playoff games ahead of the Super Bowl. Despite some major penalty issues on the offensive line, these are some great numbers.
At issue here is right tackle Jawaan Taylor going up against Bosa in the big game. He committed a league-high 19 penalties in his first season with the Chiefs. That included seven holding penalties.
We’re expecting a pro-49ers crowd for Super Bowl LVIII. That could very well play a role in Taylor’s performance against last year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
As for Bosa, he recorded four quarterback hits and two sacks in the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions. He’s prepared to come up big when it counts the most Sunday in Las Vegas. We’re boldly predicting that he gets to Mahomes for two sacks.
Christian McCaffrey dominates in Super Bowl LVIII with 150-plus total yards
An NFL MVP finalist, what McCaffrey did during the regular season is nothing short of extraordinary. He tallied north of 150 total yards in four of his 16 appearances (25%). McCaffrey also went for north of 100 yards on the ground against top-end defenses in that of the Steelers, Rams, and Ravens.
- Christian McCaffrey stats (2023): 1,459 rushing yards, 67 receptions, 564 rushing yards, 2,023 total yards, 21 TD
While Kansas City did finish with the second-best total defense in the regular season, it was 19th against the run. That includes giving up north of 100 rushing yards 14 times.
What’s even more troubling for the Chiefs here is the fact that running backs caught 83% of their targets when going up against this defense. McCaffrey is the top dual-threat back in the game. It will lead to several receptions and north of 150 total yards.
Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes each pass for 300-plus yards
In passing for a franchise record 4,280 yards during the regular season, Purdy went for north of 300 yards a total of five times. He hit the 280-yard plateau seven times.
Call Purdy a game manager. Play into that narrative all you want. But the numbers don’t lie. The sophomore also led the NFL in yards per attempt and yards per completion while ranking in the top five in air yards. When the big play is there, he hits it more often than not.
- Brock Purdy stats (2023): 69.4% completion, 4,280 yards, 31 TD, 11 INT
Kansas City was incredibly hard to pass on during the regular season. This unit ranked fourth best in the NFL at 176.5 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks also threw just 19 touchdowns against the Chiefs, meaning that San Francisco is going to pound the rock.
As for the 49ers’ defense, they gave up only 20 touchdown passes compared to a whopping 22 interceptions. With Mahomes having thrown a career-high 14 regular-season interceptions, some might think that it makes sense to target San Francisco’s questionable run defense.
We’re going against the grain in both regards. The way we expect Super Bowl LVIII to play out is more of a barn burner on the fast track of Allegiant Stadium. It will be a high-scoring affair with both signal callers going for north of 300 yards.
San Francisco 49ers win on late-game field goal from Jake Moody
The unsung hero of Super Bowl LVIII will be a rookie kicker who had the case of the yips during his first season in the NFL.
With the game tied at 31 after Patrick Mahomes leads Kansas City down the field on a game-tying touchdown-scoring drive, San Francisco will take over at its own 25 with 55 seconds left. Purdy will proceed to led the 49ers down to the Chiefs 30, setting up a 47-yard field goal for Moody. He’ll nail it as time expires for a 49ers win.
- Final prediction: San Francisco 49ers 34, Kansas City Chiefs 31