Two The Lancer columnists — Kevin Starr and Christian-Isaiah Aguilar — have strong opinions about the upcoming Super Bowl. Here, they square off to determine which team will win Super Bowl LVIII: The San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs.
The San Francisco 49ers will win – Kevin Starr
In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs played each other in the Super Bowl, and by halftime, the 49ers were in the lead 20-10. Unfortunately for the 49ers, they were dominated in the second half, losing 31-20.
This time, the result will be different.
Four years after the Chiefs offense overpowered a talented Niners defense, San Francisco will emerge victorious because of their offensive horsepower. With players such as quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle, and an offensive line led by Trent Williams, the 49ers easily out-match the Chiefs.
Sure, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes a two-time league MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion, but Mahomes will find himself struggling with very few weapons at wide receiver. Mahomes is left with four average receivers at best, with an aging Travis Kelce leading the way as tight end.
With the players the 49ers have on defense, Mahomes will struggle through the air and in the pocket. Led by defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Chase Young, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead, linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, and defensive back Charvarious Ward, the Niners will cause the Chiefs offense trouble moving down the field.
Another reason why the 49ers will win the Super Bowl is their coaching staff.
Andy Reid is a great head coach, but Kyle Shanahan has been much more consistent this season. San Francisco finished the season with a better record, courtesy of a better recent draft history.
In recent seasons, Shanahan has drafted players such as Purdy, Samuel, Kittle, Aiyuk and Bosa.
The 49ers also rank above the Chiefs in almost every single statistic: points per game, total yards per game, passing yards per game, rushing yards per game and turnover differential.
The last factor why the 49ers will win the Super Bowl is because it will be their revenge game. They will be thirsty to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in 30 years.
The Kansas City Chiefs – Christian-Isaiah Aguilar
The Kansas City Chiefs will take yet another victory from the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have played against them before in the Super Bowl, and they know how win a Lombardi in the big game against them.
It begins and ends with starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is one of the top 10 quarterbacks of all time, having one of the lowest rates on negative plays (interceptions, sacks and fumbles) every season since he became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018. In 2023, his number was 6.8, one of the lowest in the NFL once more, and even when he did make mistakes, the advanced stats suggest they hurt less than the average negative play.
There is also tight end Travis Kelce, one of the best postseason players in NFL history and a future Hall of Famer. He and Mahomes have one of the most lethal connections in the entire league, and finding the soft zones in the 49ers defense will be a necessity if their wide receivers don’t step up like they hope to.
Defensively, they have Chris Jones, one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL, alongside defensive linemen like George Karlaftis and Mike Danna, who will help Jones in their effort to slow down the 49ers offense and young starting quarterback Brock Purdy. More than anything, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows how to keep pressure. This will give the 49ers offense a challenge. This will play a big role in the game for the Chiefs win to be possible.
But more than anything, the coaching imbalance plays in the Chiefs’ favor. The head coach for the Chiefs, Andy Reid, is one of the best coaches of all time, getting two recent Super Bowl wins to highlight his long career. He knows how to get his players ready for a stage that they’re quite familiar with. Reid’s offenses are one of the best in the NFL, and he has also outmatched 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, in the past during the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs have won against the 49ers before and they’ll do it again and again.