San Francisco 49ers (15-3) Vs. Kansas City Chiefs (14-4)

The biggest game of the year is upon us coming up on Sunday. Both of these teams have taken vastly different paths to reach this game. The 49ers knocked off the Vikings and Packers in dominating fashion. The Chiefs on the other hand had to fight back after falling behind in both the divisional round and championship round against the Texans and Titans. Oddly enough both teams have only played teams from one division these playoffs to advance to the Super Bowl. The 49ers beat 2 teams from the NFC North, while the Chiefs beat 2 teams from AFC South. That likely means absolutely nothing, but throughout the year I did believe that both the NFC North and AFC South were a little better top to bottom than some of the other divisions in the league, which is likely why both sent 2 teams to the playoffs.

The Case For The 49ers

This team is just balanced on both sides of the ball. Their offense can put up points and their defense can stop you from scoring and cause turnovers. Patrick Mahomes is a nightmare matchup for any team but the 49ers have seen good mobile quarterbacks all year. I'm sure they'll come up with a nice game plan to prevent him from scrambling around and making plays, at least, the best that they can. The 49ers have weapons in the passing game and can pound it on the ground which means they can play from behind or with a lead. There have been some spots this year where this team has just crushed opponents. Last week vs Green Bay until late in the game, the earlier meeting vs Green Bay during the season. The game against the Panthers where they crushed them 51-13. They can also win in shootouts and tight games as evidenced by their nail biter wins against the Saints and Seahawks late in the season, both on the road, both with huge playoff implications.

The Case For The Chiefs

They're getting healthy at the right time on defense. They have Patrick Mahomes and can literally score at will on any defense thrown at them. They've seen adversity in the playoffs and overcome it. Falling behind 24-0 early in the Divisional round, they stormed back and won by 20 points. They shut down the Texans after they jumped out to a huge lead to give their offense opportunities to put up points, and put up points they did, to the tune of 51. In the AFC Championship game they put a halt to the workhorse Derick Henry and held him to only 68 yards, preventing him from putting the Titans on his back again and carrying them to victory. This 49ers team gives them a whole new set of challenges to overcome however. With Mahomes at the helm they have the ability to win against anyone, even if they fall behind early.

Who Wins

I have to go with my gut here and take the team I think is going to dominate the game. That team is the San Francisco 49ers. They have the better defense and defense wins championships, especially in the NFL. If the last few weeks are any indication the Chiefs could start out slow and get behind. If that happens in the Super Bowl I think it's a death knell. Teams that fall behind typically stay behind. This game is the end all be all of the season, the ultimate goal. Teams don't let up and don't allow comebacks, save the few Super Bowls Tom Brady managed to come from behind to win against the Falcons and Seahawks, but those games were anomalies. If the Chiefs do get behind, they do have a punchers chance of making a comeback, any team with Mahomes leading the way is never out of the game. However, that might be asking way too much against this San Francisco team. I think their defense is top notch, I think they can stop anyone and I think they are built to not only get a lead but to protect that lead.

Final Score Prediction 49ers 31 Chiefs 20.