Super Bowl 58: #3 Kansas City Chiefs vs #1 San Francisco 49ers (-1)
Kansas City Chiefs: 11-6, AFC West Champion
WC: 26-7 v Miami
Divisional: 27-24 @ Buffalo
Conference: 17-10 @ Baltimore
Super Bowl Record: 3-2
Last Appearance: Super Bowl 57 (38-35 W v Philadelphia)
How they got here:
If you followed along Kansas City's offense has done everything imaginable to ruin this for Kermit and the Swifties. So many drops, Toney lining up offsides to force them to play on the road, despite an incredible defense this really seemed like the year Kansas City was finally going to be not remotely close to the best team in the AFC. Then they get into the playoffs and put in some ****ing work. Mahomes scored 14 points in the first 2 drives, a field goal since and that was good enough to beat the ****ing Ravens at home. Pretty eye-opening no matter how you look at it.
Mahomes played on the road in the playoffs for the first time in his career (which in it of itself is an insane stat for a guy who is now playing in his 4th Super Bowl) and they put in work. They played on the road for the second time in his career. And they put in work. Patrick Mahomes remains the only active NFL player with equity to go down as the greatest to ever play.
San Francisco 49ers: 12-5, NFC West Champion
WC: Bye
Divisional: 24-21 v Green Bay
Conference: 34-31 v Detroit
Super Bowl Record: 5-2
Last Appearance: Super Bowl 54 (31-20 L v Kansas City)
Last Win: Super Bowl 29 (49-26 v San Diego)
How they got here:
Holy ****ing ****.
The Niners started the season 5-0 and in doing so looked like a generationally dominant team that was going to run away with the NFL.
Then they lost Trent and Deebo, lost 3 straight and looked like total ass doing so causing everyone to assume they were frauds.
Then they won 6 straight and in doing so looked like a generationally dominant team and Brock ****ing Purdy was the runaway betting favorite to win the MVP.
Then Christmas happened.
But all's well that ends well and they made the playoffs as the #1 seed.
Then the Green Bay game happened.
For 50 minutes Bork played like I would and the Niners looked finished. Then he pulled a hell of a comeback out of his ass and they won.
Then the Detroit game happened.
I literally just watched this game a couple hours ago and I still can't explain to you what happened and how except that somehow someway the Niners won. And that's cool!
What makes this Super Bowl so compelling
I can see why people hate both of these franchises for a thousand different reasons, but brace yourself for what will be the most watched televised sporting event (possibly most watched television event of any kind) in American history. And it probably lives up to that. Obviously the Swift element is...a thing. And we are going to have 2 weeks of lead-up for that which will be...a thing. But put that aside for a second and there are stories galore.
Whatever you think of Brock Purdy, last year he was the last pick of the draft. This year he is starting in the Super Bowl. Could he have pulled this off if any other team drafted him? Of course not. He fell ass backwards into an epic situation and the Niners fell ass backwards into a lucky draft pick. Trading 3 1s to move up in the most overrated draft in history only to have your franchise QB be some random guy from Iowa who only got the job because the two guys in front of him went down? If this weren't shoved down your throat for the better part of a year and a half it's the coolest story since Kurt Warner, bagman, who only got the job because the two guys in front of him went down. Btw, this time last year the guy broke his ****ing elbow and yet here we are.
Holy **** Patrick Mahomes. 6 years as a starter. Has made it to the AFC Championship 6 times. Has made it to the Super Bowl 4 times. Has a chance to get his 3rd ring and the ****er is only 28. He won't have Brady level longevity but we are witnessing absolute greatness like most of us have not seen in our lifetime. It sucks if you are a fan of any other team but the Chefs but still.
Rumors circulating this may be the last ride of the Walrus. Historically the man is both massive and massively underrated. His work with Philadelphia was both amazing and unlucky. His work with Kansas City has been nothing short of legendary. 4 Super Bowl appearances in 5 years with the potential for 3 wins. I would argue he is the actual greatest coach in NFL history.
Which is a good segue into the modern day iteration of Philadelphia Walrus. Ever since the Falcons implosion I would argue no coach in the NFL has more more criticism despite more success than Kyle Shanahan. The guy is an objectively brilliant offensive mind and in his 7 years as Niners coach they have gone to the NFC Championship 4 of the last 5 years and twice have made it to the Super Bowl. And they did this with QB luminaries like the Womp and the Bork. Kyle schemes like nobody in the NFL can but every time the Niners fell short it all fell on him despite the fact that they overperformed to get where they were in the first place.
This game is a rematch of Super Bowl 54 which still hurts my ****ing soul (Bosa was held on 4th and Tyreek, never believe different). These two teams don't have much history but the history they do have is massive. SB 54 kickstarted the Chiefs dynasty and the failure of Womp to close it kickstarted the Niners neverending hunt for a franchise QB that went from maybe Brady to maybe Rodgers to maybe Lance to....Purdy? Lots of trajectories changed 4 years ago and we come full circle.
Why the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl
This defense is good. Like, really good. Like, really really good. Pacheco has stepped up and the Niners run defense has been horrendous so far in the playoffs. Plus, you know, that Patrick Mahomes guy. Mahomes smoked the Ravens for the first 2 drives on the road which is as comparable as there is to a theoretical matchup with the Niners defense. The Niners have been pretty lax the entire playoffs to start the game and 1. both games are at home and 2. neither teams they faced are as good as Kansas City. There is no margin of error for lazy bullshit and if the Niners bring that energy to the Super Bowl this is going to be a ****ing rout.
Why the 49ers will win the Super Bowl
The Niners have an overwhelming amount of talent. The biggest knock against them is that they could not play from behind and the entire playoffs they had to come from behind. Were they lucky against the Lions? Absolutely. But they proved that even down 17 points they have a QB who is not going to be overwhelmed by the moment and a defense that can still step up when needed even if they failed catastrophically. As good as the Chiefs defense is they have yet to face an offense like the 49ers with as much efficiency and talent across the board as they have. Plus this defense is ludicrously talented. They may take 30 minutes to get jumpstarted but once they do they are locked in.
Gentlemen, let us Super Bowl.
And on a humourous note Hardman did not realize he scored the TD to win the SB.
My point was not that Purdy played as bad as he did in his other poor efforts this year, but his ceiling was nowhere close to Mahomes
Of course his ceiling was nowhere close to Mahomes. But that can't be the measurement stick. DraftKings has MVP odds for next season. Of the 5 guys ranked right behind Mahomes (Allen, Burrow, Jackson, Love, Purdy) he beat 4 of them in his last 6 playoff games. He also beat 5 of the top 6 players in 2023 MVP voting during this playoff run. Before the playoffs people argued that Purdy was only a game manager. Now it's "but he's not as good as Mahomes". You don't need a PhD in rocket surgery to know that.
not that it matters now but can't believe that 2nd and 12 catch wasn't reveiwed unless they aren't automatic in playoff ot
Either they did all reviews in record setting speed in New York or none of the close OT calls got an official review. The 2nd&12 is a completed pass if his movement towards the sticks is considered a football move after the catch. Otherwise it's clearly incomplete.
That's what Mahomes said in the postgame interview. When the NFL network guy didn't know the game wouldn't end at 15mins.
Of course his ceiling was nowhere close to Mahomes. But that can't be the measurement stick. DraftKings has MVP odds for next season. Of the 5 guys ranked right behind Mahomes (Allen, Burrow, Jackson, Love, Purdy) he beat 4 of them in his last 6 playoff games. He also beat 5 of the top 6 players in 2023 MVP voting during this playoff run. Before the playoffs people argued that Purdy was only a game manager. Now it's "but he's not as good as Mahomes". You don't need a PhD in rocket surgery to kno
It isn't the measuring stick. It's simply a statement of fact that the 9ers were clearly overmatched in the most important position on the field. Kyle had to manage that without putting Purdy into situations in which he has failed in the past. The fact Purdy played better than expected doesn't mean a lot in the context of winning the game.
Put any of those other MVP candidates in as 9er QB and their win chances go up considerably.
Team's built different
I posted a link to an ESPN story in the "coaching stupidity" thread. If 49ers players really didn't know OT rules before the biggest game of their career that's indefensible.
And Kyle (aoparently) lying about it with his damage control presser.
And it's all playoff games, not just SB.
IRT Juszczyk catch in OT he clearly had possession when he fell to the ground, which removes the 2 foot+football move requirement all in one. He lost possession when the ball went OOB immediately after that.
People who know me know I don't care about football.
But man I started watching 6 mins or so left in regulation and that was the best sporting experience I've been apart of since the Raptors won the finals. I was glued.
Those announcers were SO much better than the typical nba dudes.
Very straight forward and always on point. They were calling out plays beforehand too! It was Tomy Romo and who else? Both deserve massive praise.
What an ending. What a game!
Rooting for that qb to 3 peat and enter the Jordan zone (like the announcer said).
Spectacular game. Don't usually watch any football, but watched it at the poker table. Incredible ending. 57-yard field goal and missed extra point.
People who know me know I don't care about football.
But man I started watching 6 mins or so left in regulation and that was the best sporting experience I've been apart of since the Raptors won the finals. I was glued.
Those announcers were SO much better than the typical nba dudes.
Very straight forward and always on point. They were calling out plays beforehand too! It was Tomy Romo and who else? Both deserve massive praise.
What an ending. What a game!
Rooting for that qb to 3 peat and enter t
Praising Romo is all the proof anyone needs to know you don't watch much football.
Glad you enjoyed the game. It was a classic.
Praising Romo is all the proof anyone needs to know you don't watch much football.
Glad you enjoyed the game. It was a classic.
My impression Romo was homering for the 9ers, with Nantz trying to balance that with a bit of KC homering of his own. That 9er sideline pass that was clearly a 1st down which Nantz initially said was not a 1st brought that out.
I posted a link to an ESPN story in the "coaching stupidity" thread. If 49ers players really didn't know OT rules before the biggest game of their career that's indefensible.
Like I said, not knowing the OT rules was the only semi-plausible explanation on why they took the ball. But for the life of me I'll never be able to wrap my head around that reality. Un-****ing-fathomable.
When I first heard Kyle mention the 3rd OT possession thing as his reason for receiving kick, it seemed like damage control to me.
Now several 9er players coming out admitting they were not aware of the new OT rules, and one directly contradicting Kyle's statement that they talked about it prior to the coin flip.
Probably does not get played much in the media but this was a lack of preparation on Kyle's part.
FWIW reports are KC was fully prepared with the new OT rules.
That makes sense.
Once I understood the rules I was wondering why you wouldn't choose to defer (or kick). If the other team scores a TD or a FG, then you will go for it every 4th down until you score. That seems like the smart play. I'm sure someone has figured out the math on it, but getting the ball second seems optimal.
With the stupid 'lets stop running the ball' strategy and this, if I was the owner I would insta-fire Kyle this morning.
The team going first can go for it on fourth down as well you know. And there’s the option to score a touchdown and go for two.
I think the main knock is that he started his broadcasting career absolutely on fire. Super valuable insights combined with great preparation that made him the #1 guy.
Over the last couple seasons, probably after signing his contract extension with CBS, it often felt like he was on autopilot and making up for a lack of preparation by yelling more and saying "uh" and "oh".
That said, I thought Nantz/Romo did a good job yesterday.
You get to the biggest stage in all of sports. SF is favored by 2. One of the most evenly matched SBs in NFL history. Even before the game was kicked off overtime was a distinct possibility that had to weigh on everyone's mind (ownership/coaches/players) to some degree. And the 49ers didn't ****ing know the goddamn OT rules.
Like if this was a movie everyone would say it's stupid and unrealistic. There's no way that ever happens. It actually happened. WTF
I think the main knock is that he started his broadcasting career absolutely on fire. Super valuable insights combined with great preparation that made him the #1 guy.
Over the last couple seasons, probably after signing his contract extension with CBS, it often felt like he was on autopilot and making up for a lack of preparation by yelling more and saying "uh" and "oh".
That said, I thought Nantz/Romo did a good job yesterday.
People have strange expectations for announcers. As long as they're better than Aikman and Buck they should be happy imo. Romo is fine.
Spectacular game. Don't usually watch any football, but watched it at the poker table. Incredible ending. 57-yard field goal and missed extra point.
I couldn't believe it when the 57-yarder went through, after the high snap and it seemed like the ball never got more than 25 feet off the ground.
I think the main knock is that he started his broadcasting career absolutely on fire. Super valuable insights combined with great preparation that made him the #1 guy.
Over the last couple seasons, probably after signing his contract extension with CBS, it often felt like he was on autopilot and making up for a lack of preparation by yelling more and saying "uh" and "oh".
That said, I thought Nantz/Romo did a good job yesterday.
I thought romo was fine for a lot of the game, but if you’re looking for the reason why he sucks in general, compare nantz’s walkoff call that was inundated by romo not knowing when to shut the **** up to harlan’s.
This was arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time, or at the very least among them. And that play was delivered with the excitement and build of a week 7 TNF
You get to the biggest stage in all of sports. SF is favored by 2. One of the most evenly matched SBs in NFL history. Even before the game was kicked off overtime was a distinct possibility that had to weigh on everyone's mind (ownership/coaches/players) to some degree. And the 49ers didn't ****ing know the goddamn OT rules.
Like if this was a movie everyone would say it's stupid and unrealistic. There's no way that ever happens. It actually happened. WTF
I don't know how much it matters if the players know the rules. I assume they were told by the coaches whether to take the ball or defer if they won the toss, which is the main thing. If not then super duper lol.
He makes $170mil over his 10 year contract. I don't think it's too much to ask for him to prepare for the games. That said he probably made the mistakes of setting the bar to high for himself.
This was arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time, or at the very least among them.
I thought the game was a solid level below last year. First half was absolutely terrible on basically every level.
He makes $170mil over his 10 year contract. I don't think it's too much to ask for him to prepare for the games. That said he probably made the mistakes of setting the bar to high for himself.
I probably have permanent battered wife syndrome. As long as I don't have to listen to the worst announcing team of all time--Aikman and Buck--I'm happy.
