How 49ers, Chiefs match up in ‘perfect’ Super Bowl LVIII showdown

How 49ers, Chiefs match up in ‘perfect’ Super Bowl LVIII showdown originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — With their unlikely come-from-behind NFC Championship Game victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, the 49ers earned the right to join the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.

“It’s perfect,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said in the aftermath of the 49ers’ 34-31 win over the Lions.

The Chiefs are, without question, the NFL’s flagship team after the New England Patriots enjoyed their run of six Super Bowl titles with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick.

Bosa referred to the Chiefs as being “as great of an organization as there is,” with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid at the helm.

That pair won their first of two Super Bowl titles four years ago against the 49ers, rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 31-20 victory in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

Kansas City advanced in the early game on Sunday with a 17-10 victory over the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

Then, the 49ers had a rally for the ages to propel them to a Super Bowl rematch.

Here is a closer look at the 49ers-Chiefs matchup:

When the 49ers are on offense

The 49ers’ offense was nowhere near impressive from start to finish in their two NFC playoff wins over the Green Bay Packers and Lions.

Quarterback Brock Purdy and that entire unit will have to do a lot better in two weeks against Kansas City. In two playoff games, Purdy has completed 43 of 70 passes for 519 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception.

On Sunday, he picked up big big yards on scrambles, rushing for 48 yards on five attempts.

Running back Christian McCaffrey is the focal point of the 49ers’ offense, and Kansas City has allowed 4.6 yards per rushing attempt in the postseason.

McCaffrey left the NFC title game late in the fourth quarter against Detroit with a shoulder stinger. An hour or so after the game, he said…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-chiefs-match-perfect-super-072259543.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-01-29 07:22:59

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