NFL 2023 Super Bowl LVIII Recap + Preseason Picks/Awards Recap

  Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is in the books. The 2023 NFL season ends with a great game in the Super Bowl. Of the two teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, the Chiefs emerge from the carnage with their 4rd Super Bowl championship in franchise history. In this post, I'll talk about the game, the commercials and the halftime show, and a recap of my predictions prior to the start of the regular season. We have a lot to talk about so let's get to work!

Super Bowl LVIII Recap

San Francisco 22, Kansas City 25: TW: 49ers; CV: Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs repeat as champions for the first time since the 2003 and 2004 Patriots. Brock Purdy hit 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards with a touchdown to Jauan Jennings in the 4th quarter. The ensuing point after was blocked that would prove to be a factor in the game. Jauan Jennings would play quarterback for a play on a pass play to Christian McCaffrey. The play was a gadget play where Purdy threw a pass to Jennings who threw it back to Christian McCaffrey who ran it in for the game's first touchdown. Christian McCaffrey would have a solid day as he rushed for 80 yards on 22 carries while catching eight passes for 80 yards. The 49ers put up 382 total yards in the game. A factor in the game was the special teams miscues as the 49ers muffed on a punt where a 49er hit the ball with his foot which meant it was a live ball. Ray Ray McCloud tried as he may to recover it but it was too late. The Jake Moody missed point after block possibly costed the 49ers a point that would prove to be the key to the game. 

Patrick Mahomes would start off slow in the game. He and the offense would start off slow as the 49ers defense would pressure him a lot. He finished with 34 of 46 passing for 333 yards with two touchdown passes and had an interception in the game. The first touchdown went to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a play where the Chiefs recovered off of the McCloud muff punt return. The 2nd touchdown went to Mecole Hardman for the game-winning score. Patrick Mahomes rushed for 66 yards on nine carries, a majority of it being on the final drive where Mahomes went on a 22-yard gain. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 59 yards on 18 carries. Travis Kelce was on some controversy as he got into an altercation via bumping into his head coach Andy Reid. In the first half, Kelce had just one catch for one yard. In the 2nd half, he would get eight more for 92 yards. Kansas City had 455 total yards of offense in the game. A lot of it being from the 2nd half. Key plays for the Chiefs was a 52-yard big gain for Mecole Hardman. Harrison Butker would beat the Super Bowl record set by Jake Moody (in the 2nd quarter Moody hit a 55-yard field goal) by hitting a 57-yard field goal. The Chiefs weren't without mistakes on their own. The Pacheco fumble was the first turnover. The 2nd turnover came on a Mahomes interception in the 2nd half on the Chiefs 1st drive in the 3rd quarter. The ensuing 49ers drive didn't yield into much. The biggest thing that factored in the Chiefs win was their defense. They were gassed at the end but by the time they were exhausted, the offense would achieve victory. The Chiefs offense would do just enough to win. 

The scoring would get started with a Jake Moody field goal for a 55-yard attempt. Next, was the trick play for a Christian McCaffrey touchdown. Harrison Butker hit a field goal that would give the Chiefs a 10-3 deficit at halftime. Butker got called again to hit a field goal and he hit a 57-yard field goal that eclipsed Moody's kick in the 1st quarter in terms of records. Two Chiefs drives later, Mahomes hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. The Chiefs got 10 points in 4 1/2 minutes in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter, the 49ers regained the lead on a Purdy pass to Jauan Jennings for a 10-yard score. Jennings became the 2nd player in NFL history to score a touchdown and throw for a touchdown (Nick Foles was the first in Super Bowl LII). The key to the game was the blocked point after try that would keep the score at a 16-13 49er lead. Harrison Butker hit a field goal from 24 yards to tie the game. Jake Moody was called on again to hit a field goal from 53 yards to give the 49ers a lead again at 19-16 with 1:57 left in the game. Harrison Butker would also get called again to give the Chiefs a 19-19 tie going into end of regulation time and into overtime. On a drive that lead to the 49ers last drive of the season that eclipsed 7:38 of time of possession, Jake Moody was called on again. He delivered a 27-yard field goal that gave the 49ers a 22-19 lead. On come the Chiefs. The Chiefs final drive of the season reached perfection as they took up 75 yards, 7:19 of time of possession and 13 plays. The final play of the season was a pass play that set Mecole Hardman to motion to the left and then to the right. With time slipping at overtime with the 49ers still holding the lead. At the snap of the ball, Mahomes went right and Hardman went further right. Mahomes found his man all alone in the endzone and Mahomes tossed it to him and caught it to give the Chiefs the lead and the win. The Chiefs were NFL champions again for the 3rd time in five seasons. 

Commercials

The commercials for this year's Super Bowl were pretty good. At least for the most part. The least favorite was the RFK Jr. ad. It didn't seem right to show it with the Super Bowl on. Especially a political ad whether it be a Republican or Democrat running. I mean you didn't see a Trump or Biden ad run an ad. 

My favorite ad was the State Farm commercial ad with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. I like the play on words with Schwarzenegger's emphasis in neighbah instead of neighbor. I liked the Ken Jeong commercial with him being scared of a Roomba. 

If I had to choose a least favorite commercial that wasn't the RFK Jr. ad it would have to be the Michael Cera commercial for "Michael CeraVe."

Halftime Show

Usher's halftime show was good. He definitely put on a good show. He had a good cast of characters like Lil Jon, Alicia Keys, and H.E.R. even though I didn't know most of the songs. As long as he played "Yeah!" I was happy. At least middle schooler me was happy to hear it. Very solid show I'm not sure if its better than Rihanna's last year but it's definitely a great show. Nothing can beat Prince's show. 

Preseason Predictions + Awards Recap

Prior to the Week 1 Picks post last September, I made a preseason predictions post where I picked where the 32 teams will finish in the standings, the playoffs, the Super Bowl matchup and winner as well as the Awards winners. It's a fun way to look back on where I was right and where I was wrong. This will be probably painful haha. Let's take a look:

Regular season predictions

NFC:

East

Dallas Cowboys (picked to finish 1st, finished 1st) correct
Philadelphia Eagles (picked to finish 2nd, finished 2nd) correct
New York Giants (picked to finish 3rd, finished 3rd) correct
Washington Commanders (picked to finish 4th, finished 4th) correct

North

Detroit Lions (picked to finish 1st, finished 1st) correct
Minnesota Vikings (picked to finish 2nd, finished 3rd) incorrect
Green Bay Packers (picked to finish 3rd, finished 2nd) incorrect
Chicago Bears (picked to finish 4th, finished 4th) correct

South

New Orleans Saints (picked to finish 1st, finished 2nd) incorrect
Atlanta Falcons (picked to finish 2nd, finished 3rd) incorrect
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (picked to finish 3rd, finished 1st) incorrect
Carolina Panthers (picked to finish 4th, finished 4th) correct

West

San Francisco 49ers (picked to finish 1st, finished 1st) correct
Los Angeles Rams (picked to finish 2nd, finished 2nd) correct
Seattle Seahawks (picked to finish 3rd, finished 3rd) correct
Arizona Cardinals (picked to finish 4th, finished 4th) correct

AFC:

East

Buffalo Bills (picked to finish 1st, finished 1st) correct
Miami Dolphins (picked to finish 2nd, finished 2nd) correct
New England Patriots (picked to finish 3rd, finished 4th) incorrect
New York Jets (picked to finish 4th, finished 3rd) incorrect

North

Cincinnati Bengals (picked to finish 1st, finished 4th) incorrect
Pittsburgh Steelers (picked to finish 2nd, finished 3rd) incorrect
Baltimore Ravens (picked to finish 3rd, finished 1st) incorrect
Cleveland Browns (picked to finish 4th, finished 2nd) incorrect

South

Jacksonville Jaguars (picked to finish 1st, finished 2nd) incorrect
Tennessee Titans (picked to finish 2nd, finished 4th) incorrect
Houston Texans (picked to finish 3rd, finished 1st) incorrect
Indianapolis Colts (picked to finish 4th, finished 3rd) incorrect

West

Kansas City Chiefs (picked to finish 1st, finished 1st) correct
Los Angeles Chargers (picked to finish 2nd, finished 4th) incorrect
Denver Broncos (picked to finish 3rd, finished 3rd) correct
Las Vegas Raiders (picked to finish 4th, finished 2nd) incorrect

So overall I got at least 15 of 32 correct, last year I finished with 19 of 32 correct. Some of the obvious ones that I missed was messing up on the AFC North standings as well as the AFC South. Kind of wild how I did get both the NFC East and West standings correct as well. I feel the playoff predictions are going to hurt. 

Playoff Predictions

AFC

1st seed: Cincinnati Bengals (incorrect)
2nd seed: Kansas City Chiefs (incorrect)
3rd seed: Buffalo Bills (incorrect)
4th seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (incorrect)
5th seed: Miami Dolphins (incorrect)
6th seed: Los Angeles Chargers (incorrect)
7th seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (correct)

Wild Card: 

Kansas City over Pittsburgh (incorrect)
Los Angeles over Buffalo (incorrect)
Jacksonville over Miami (incorrect)

Divisional

Cincinnati over Los Angeles (incorrect)
Jacksonville over Kansas City (incorrect)

Conference Championship

Cincinnati over Jacksonville (incorrect)

NFC

1st seed: San Francisco 49ers (correct)
2nd seed: Dallas Cowboys (correct)
3rd seed: New Orleans Saints (incorrect)
4th seed: Detroit Lions (incorrect)
5th seed: Philadelphia Eagles (incorrect)
6th seed: Minnesota Vikings (incorrect)
7th seed: Atlanta Falcons (incorrect)

Wild Card:

Dallas over Atlanta (incorrect)
Minnesota over New Orleans (incorrect)
Philadelphia over Detroit (incorrect)

Divisional:

San Francisco over Minnesota (incorrect)
Dallas over Philadelphia (incorrect)

Conference Championship:

San Francisco over Dallas (incorrect)

Super Bowl LVIII:

Cincinnati over San Francisco (incorrect)

Well I wasn't expecting the Bengals to lose Joe Burrow toward the middle of the season. I had banked on the idea that the Bengals would have enough star power to get over the hump. A rematch against the 49ers would've been an interesting Super Bowl I felt. 

Award Predictions:

MVP: Joe Burrow (incorrect)

Offensive Player of the Year: Ja'Marr Chase (incorrect)

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons (incorrect)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Anthony Richardson (incorrect)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Will Anderson Jr. (correct)

Comeback Player of the Year: Damar Hamlin (incorrect, but probably should've won)

Coach of the Year: Dan Campbell (Incorrect)

Bold Predictions

TJ Watt getting 23 sacks: He had 19 sacks
Trevor Lawrence passing for 4,500 yards: he had 4,016 yards
Derrick Henry getting rushing title: he had 1,167 yards, finishing 2nd to Christian McCaffrey with 1,459 yards. 

Well another season ends in the books and hopefully you all enjoyed me reading all the goings on in the NFL season. Normally this blog ends with a hibernation period until August when the NFL season is around the corner. I would like to do more blog posts with Free Agency, Draft, etc. but we will see. Until the next blog post, see you around!

-Tom

NFL 2023 Super Bowl LVIII Pick

 Hello readers! Another week of National League action is coming upon us yet again. Out of the 32 teams that started the regular season back in September, only two remain. Two teams remain and only one will win the highest prize in North American sports, the Super Bowl's Lombardi Trophy. On Sunday February 11th, 2023, the San Francisco 49ers will do battle against the Kansas City Chiefs. In this post, I will talk about Super Bowl Notes, TV broadcast notes, a recap of the Chiefs and 49ers seasons, the keys to victory and finally my prediction on who will win the big game. Let's get to work!

Super Bowl Notes

Super Bowl LVIII will be a rematch of Super Bowl LIV where the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20. This will be 9th Super Bowl where it will be a rematch. The previous Super Bowls that had the rematch storyline were XIII, XVII, XXIII, XXVIII, XXX, XLVI, LII and LIII. 

The referee for Super Bowl LVIII will be Bill Vinovich who will be refereeing his 3rd Super Bowl (XLIX and LIV). Joining him will be Umpire Terry Killens, Down Judge Mark Perlman, Line Judge Jeff Bergman, Field Judge Tom hill, Side Judge Allen Baynes, Back Judge Brad Freeman, Replay official Mike Chase and Replay assistant Jack Persampire. Killens will be the first official to officiate a game while being a former player in a Super Bowl (he played in Super Bowl XXXIV as a member of the Tennessee Titans). 

Super Bowl LVIII will be a game of tantalyzing storylines. Will winning another Super Bowl constitute a Chiefs dynasty? Will the 49ers finally win their 6th championship after a 29-year championship drought? Can Brock Purdy become the first Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl? Can Kyle Shanahan finally erase his biggest blunders from the 28-3 disaster in Super Bowl LI to blowing a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIV? Can the Chiefs repeat as Super Bowl Champions for the first time since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots? Can Christian McCaffrey keep up with the undefeated Super Bowl streak set forth from his father Ed McCaffrey (he won Super Bowl XXIX as a 49er and won Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII as a member of the Broncos)? At the end of Super Bowl LVIII those questions will be answered. 

Super Bowl LVIII TV Broadcast Notes

Super Bowl LVIII will be televised on CBS in the United States. It will also carry an alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon. Super Bowl LVIII will be the 22nd Super Bowl that CBS will broadcast. They have broadcasted Super Bowls I (with NBC), II, IV, VI, VIII, X, XII, XIV, XVI, XVIII, XXI, XXIV, XXVI, XXXV, XXXVIII, XLI, XLIV, XLVII, 50, LIII, and LV. Super Bowl LVIII will be the network's 9th Super Bowl since taking over the AFC package in 1998. 

Doing the play-by-play commentary will be Jim Nantz. Nantz will be calling his 7th Super Bowl while handling the play-by-play duties in the same shoes as Ray Scott, Pat Summerall and Greg Gumbel. 

Doing the color commentary will be Tony Romo. Romo will be calling his 3rd Super Bowl as a color commentator. He will have the same duties as past commentators like Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier, John Madden and Phil Simms. 

Super Bowl LVIII will be televised in such countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Canada, in the Balkan countries and in the Phillipines. It will be the first time in Super Bowl history where there will be an alternative broadcast of the game on Nickelodeon and will be streaming live on Paramount+. 

For the Super Bowl lead out program will be the premiere of Tracker. The week after the Super Bowl will be the network's week to showcase new upcoming shows. The lead out program for Nickelodeon will be the newest show Rock, Paper, Scissors. 

The halftime performer in Super Bowl LVIII is the American R&B singer Usher. The event marks the 30th anniversary of his first album Usher in 1994. Surely he will have to include "Yeah!" in the performance. 

Singing the National Anthem will be Reba McEntire while actor Daniel Durant will do American Sign Language of the anthem. Singing "America the Beautiful" will be Post Malone. Andra Day will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing." 

2023 San Francisco 49ers Season Review: 

The road back to the Super Bowl for the 49ers was just as hard as getting there. In 2020, the 49ers faltered to finish to a 6-10 season. The big highlight for them that year was a new and upcoming quarterback named Nick Mullens. In 2021, the 49ers started to get back their luster from 2019. They made the playoffs as a Wild Card team and beat the Cowboys and Packers en route to a NFC championship loss to the future Super Bowl champion Rams. In 2022, they looked just as good as they were in 2019 but injuries started to falter them as they lost to the NFC champion Eagles. 

In 2023, the 49ers made the shocking trade of trades in giving up Trey Lance to Dallas. They also traded for Chase Young from Washington. They finished the Preseason schedule with a 1-2 record. At the start of the season, the 49ers offense put up 33.4 points/game while compiling a 5-0 record. Such wins included a win over the Rams and blowing out the Cowboys 42-10 on Sunday night. The wheels would fall off the 49ers offense as they would score 17 points in three consecutive games as they lost to the Browns, Vikings and Bengals. 

With a Week 9 bye week, the 49ers got their heads on straight to finish off the rest of the regular season going on a 7-2 run, including a 6-game winning streak, blowing out the Jaguars, the Seahawks on Thanksgiving. In a revenge game against the Eagles, the 49ers blew out the defending NFC Champions 42-19. After a win against the Cardinals, the 49ers got ran out of town against the Ravens on Christmas Day. They finished the regular season beating the Commanders 27-10 at FedEx Field and lost to the rival Rams at home in a game where was meaningless. 

The 49ers finished the regular season with a 12-5 record with the best record in the NFC and the wild-card bye. They entered the playoffs as heavy favorites over the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers started off slow with a sluggish start on offense. They would eventually get their heads on straight and play better, getting turnovers and slowing down the Packers offense. They would win against the Packers 24-21. 

In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers would once again start off slow against the Detroit Lions. The Lions would get to a 24-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. After a failed 4th down conversion by Detroit, the 49ers would get going on a 27-7 run to beat the Lions in the 2nd half. They reach the Super Bowl with winning their 8th conference championship and look to win their 6th Super Bowl in franchise history. 

2023 Kansas City Chiefs Season Review: 

The story of the 2023 Chiefs has to start after five minutes winning Super Bowl LVII. Patrick Mahomes had won his 2nd Super Bowl in just his fifth season as a starter. To get to be one of the greatest of all time he would have to win more than just two. He and the Kansas City Chiefs would have to make a run to repeat the championship. 

The Chiefs road back would take a detour in the offseason with longtime Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy left to be the OC in Washington. Matt Nagy, the former Bears head coach, would take over. Greg Lewis, the running backs coach, would go to Baltimore as well. They didn't fill in the position. 

In free agency, the Chiefs lost Orlando Brown, Frank Clark, Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster. What they added was Byron Cowart, Mike Edwards, Richie James and Drue Tranquill. In the draft they picked up notable pieces Rashee Rice and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. 

With a 2-1 preseason record the Chiefs looked to be not missing a step a whole lot by the time the regular season started. What they didn't expect was a holdout by Chris Jones with Week 1 on the horizon. 

The Chiefs would play host to the Opening Night game against the Detroit Lions. Chris Jones' presence was felt as the Chiefs lost 21-20. Jones would get his new contract a few days after the Lions game. Despite the falter in Week 1, the Chiefs proceeded to go on a six-game winning streak. Such wins came a Divisional rematch against Jacksonville in Week 2, wins against the Bears and Vikings and division wins against the Broncos and Chargers. 

The Chiefs would fall back to earth in a rare road loss to the Broncos by a 24-9 thrashing. The Chiefs traveled to Germany in a reunion game against former wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs would hold on to beat the high-powered Dolphins 21-14. The Chiefs had a Week 10 bye week. 

Normally teams would have a fresh start after a bye week. The Chiefs were the exception to that assumption. In a Super Bowl rematch, the Eagles came back and beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead 21-17. The next week the Chiefs beat the Raiders soundly at Allegiant Stadium. The pivotal stretch of the season happened in Week 13 and 14. In Week 13, they faltered in a defensive battle against the Packers. In a regular meeting with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs lost 20-17 on an offsides penalty that even made home fans question the Chiefs reasoning for arguing against the call. 

A win against the Patriots gave the Chiefs a 9-5 record. On Christmas Day, the Chiefs faltered in an offensive ineptitude game against the rival Raiders. As of February 5th, this game remains the last game that the Chiefs have lost. The Chiefs would play their best game of the season arguably against the Joe Burrow-less Bengals in a game where the locked up the AFC West for the 8th consecutive season. They beat the Bengals 25-17 and proceed to hold on to win against the Chargers 13-12. The two wins gave the Chiefs a 11-6 record heading into the postseason. 

As the playoffs began, the Chiefs would have to take the tough road to get to the Super Bowl. The first test was a date with the Dolphins on the coldest game in the history of Arrowhead Stadium. With a kickoff temperature at -4 Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius), the Chiefs would easily handle the warm weather Dolphins 26-7. The first test was complete. The Chiefs would have to go on the road to get to the Super Bowl. 

It had been playoff tradition for Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen to meet in the playoffs. In previous matchups, it was Allen who traveled. on January 21st, 2024, Patrick Mahomes made the trek to his first playoff game on the road. In a tightly-contested game, the Chiefs prevailed by shutting down the Bills offense and have a Tyler Bass missed kick to the right go in their favor. The 27-24 final was Mahomes' first road playoff win. One more test to go. 

It was Baltimore's first hosting the AFC championship since January 1971. Such names like Johnny Unitas, Ray Perkins and Mike Curtis were part of that game. The Ravens would try to replicate the success of the 1970 Baltimore Colts in the Ravens first time hosting the championship. The Ravens got off to a decent start, trading blows with the Chiefs but ultimately turnovers and bad penalties doomed the Ravens chances to win. The Chiefs ultimately won 17-10 and took home their fourth conference championship in the last five seasons. They are seeking their fourth Super Bowl championship. They have a chance to surpass the Raiders three Super Bowl championships if they win. 

49ers-Chiefs: A Matchup History

The 49ers-Chiefs matchup history has been an intriguing one. The first matchup between the two teams was a December 6th, 1971 matchup where the Chiefs beat the 49ers 26-17 in Candlestick Park. From 1975 to 1991, the 49ers won four straight games in the history. The Chiefs beat the 49ers in the 1994 (the matchup of the Steve Young vs Joe Montana game) and 1997 matchups. The 49ers returned the favor in beating the Chiefs in 2000 and 2002. In 2006 and the 2010 games, the Chiefs beat the 49ers. In 2014, the 49ers beat the Chiefs 22-17. As of 2/3/2024, this is the last time the 49ers beat the Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the 49ers three straight times in 2018, Super Bowl LIV and in 2022. The most famous matchup of the series is obviously the Young vs Montana matchup in 1994 but I highlighted that in the Super Bowl LIV post. I would say that the Super Bowl LIV matchup was the most famous one. Let's look back at that game. 

Keys to Victory

Super Bowl LVIII will be a game of offenses. Both teams possess some really solid offenses. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey who is arguably the best back in football. The Chiefs have primarily Isiah Pacheco, the workhorse of Super Bowl LVII. If there was an advantage on offense, it'd be the 49ers wide receivers of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. On defense, the 49ers have probably one of the more tougher defensive lines with Nick Bosa and Chase Young. The Chiefs have a very underrated defensive front-seven. They got a defense that can also smack the ball away from opposing wide receivers as well. Both teams could definitely win this game. Here's what I think both teams will need to succeed in Super Bowl LVIII

Kansas City:

Catch the ball: a previous Achilles heel for the Chiefs was their inability to catch passes thrown by Mahomes. At least in the regular season. In the Super Bowl, the mistakes are magnified. At least in the playoffs their catching problems were put to a stop. You'd hate to see the inability to catch balls as a reason to lose a Super Bowl.

Ensure Patrick Mahomes is upright: pressures, sacks, and hits are no quarterbacks friend. 

Attack the 49ers receivers: the 49ers offense is a pretty big juggernaut. The best way for them to really win this game is to concede the run in order to ensure that Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have limited days in catching passes. Might be a tough thing to say but the best way to beat the 49ers is to make Brock Purdy's day a lot harder. 

San Francisco:

Start off fast: San Francisco has the capabilities to start off fast but in the past few playoff games, they had rough starts despite winning the games. A 10-point deficit to the Packers and a 24-7 deficit to the Lions. They might've gotten past those teams but the Chiefs won't surely afford them that opportunity. Get that first seven points on the first drive. 

Assign a chaperone to Patrick Mahomes: Patrick Mahomes can hurt you with his legs and arm. Ensure that he doesn't beat you with his legs or it will be a long day indeed. 

Ensure Brock Purdy is at ease: The young quarterback will be in his first Super Bowl. I'm not saying that he will be fully at ease in the Super Bowl. Most people's first Super Bowl isn't as friendly. If Purdy throws interceptions in this game, it could come back and bite the 49ers in the butt. 

Super Bowl LVIII Pick

San Francisco @ Kansas City (CBS; 6:30 pm US Eastern): CV: Chiefs

The 49ers beat the Lions and the Chiefs beat the Ravens in Championship Sunday. The ultimate game of games. This game will be a rematch of Super Bowl LIV when these two teams met in February of 2020. Prior to COVID (yeah it feels a lot longer than four years ago). In the history of the Super Bowl, the teams that meet in in the rematch Super Bowl, the team that won the first game won the 2nd game. Such examples include Super Bowl X and XIII where the Cowboys-Steelers played and Steelers won. Super Bowl XVI and XXIII had Bengals-49ers and the 49ers won both matchups. Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII had Bills-Cowboys and Cowboys won both games. Super Bowl XLII and XLVI where the Giants-Patriots played those games and the Giants won both games. Maybe it is time for the 49ers to break that streak. 

History aside, the Chiefs have the championship pedigree and experience on their side. Going to three Super Bowls and winning two of them has to give them that nod. However, the experience factor might not be a factor if they drop passes. Granted they haven't had that issue for a few weeks. I fear that will rear its ugly head on the Chiefs. Maybe it might be a factor if Taylor Swift is not in attendance. If she is there, the good luck charm (and girlfriend, sorry Swifties) factor might play in that Travis Kelce might play well. If she isn't then it might affect the Chiefs in a rough way. I think the quarterback play with Mahomes will be fine, I think he could make some things happen and play well. It's just the rest of the offense that I have questions on. Isiah Pacheco maybe can get a pass. Kadarius Toney would have to play a great game to regain the pain that Chiefs fans have gained this season. Defensively I think the Chiefs defense will be solid to a point. The 49ers have a lot of weapons and they will have their hands full. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnola will have his work cut out for him. 

The 49ers have the offense to really put forth some yards and some points. They have also the offense that could crumble before our eyes. Turnovers have been a factor for the 49ers this season. The health of Christian McCaffrey could be a possible factor as well. McCaffrey has had two weeks to rest up but I feel one play going the wrong way could be the factor to topple the running back and wreck the 49ers chances to win. The passing game should be fine as Brock Purdy has multiple weapons to throw to. He has George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel to go to. A lot of trickery could be in play for the 49ers in the game. In the defensive front, I think they're about as equal to the Chiefs defense, maybe a bit better on the star power front. Chase Young's effort could be a factor and Nick Bosa staying healthy could be a factor as well. As long as those two can do their job against the Chiefs offensive line. 

So, the pick. I think the game will be a good and a possible defensive game. I think if the game sticks to a defensive one, I think the Chiefs offense will have a tougher time to get stuff going. The 49ers offense I feel is better than the Chiefs offense. With all of the money invested in the 49ers this season, I hate to think that the 49ers can possibly lose this game. They have not a lot to lose other than the salary cap and their window is pretty much right now. The Chiefs have the most to lose as they have the chance to go on a repeat performance and to live up to Taylor Swift being there. My pick to win the Super Bowl will be... the San Francisco 49ers. 

Prediction: San Francisco 30, Kansas City 23

Super Bowl Record

I had been doing picks for the Super Bowl roughly since Super Bowl XXXII when the Packers and the Broncos played (yeah I have a good memory fairly). Safe to say there was a long stretch when I had lost three straight Super Bowls and then five straight Super Bowls. 

Super Bowl XXXII: Packers vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos vs Falcons (won)
Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams vs Titans (won)
Super Bowl XXXV: Ravens vs Giants (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVI: Rams vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVII: Raiders vs Buccaneers (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVIII: Panthers vs Patriots (won)
Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots vs Eagles (won)
Super Bowl XL: Steelers vs Seahawks (lost)
Super Bowl XLI: Colts vs Bears (won)
Super Bowl XLII: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers vs Cardinals (lost)
Super Bowl XLIV: Saints vs Colts (won)
Super Bowl XLV: Steelers vs Packers (won)
Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens vs 49ers (lost)
Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots vs Seahawks (lost)
Super Bowl 50: Panthers vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl LI: Patriots vs Falcons (won)
Super Bowl LII: Eagles vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl LIII: Rams vs Patriots (won)
Super Bowl LIV: 49ers vs Chiefs (lost)
Super Bowl LV: Buccaneers vs Chiefs (won)
Super Bowl LVI: Rams vs Bengals (won)
Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs vs Eagles (lost)

All-time record: 11-14

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 10-6

Week 17: 7-9

Week 18: 6-10

Super Wild Card Weekend: 3-3

Divisional Playoff: 3-1

Conference Championship: 

Total: 153-129

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 9-7

Week 17: 9-7

Week 18: 10-6

Super Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Divisional Playoff: 2-2

Conference Championship: 

Total: 167-115

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all the Monday/Tuesday after the Super Bowl for the Super Bowl LVIII recap post! Enjoy the big game!

-Tom