5 daring predictions for 2024 Tremendous Bowl as 49ers, Chiefs face off: Will it’s Travis Kelce's closing NFL recreation? – CBS Sports activities

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NFL Playoff Time!
Super Bowl LVIII is lower than every week away following a protracted common season and playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Las Vegas as each groups will duke it out for the Lombardi Trophy. Kansas Metropolis has places its regular-season offensive struggles behind it, and even gained two playoff video games on the highway as underdogs in opposition to the Buffalo Bills and No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens. As for San Francisco, the NFC’s No. 1 seed scraped by the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to make it again to the massive recreation.
The sport will likely be a rematch of Super Bowl LIV 4 years in the past, when Patrick Mahomes defeated Jimmy Garoppolo for his first Tremendous Bowl victory. Brock Purdy is beneath heart for the 49ers nowadays, and as a former “Mr. Irrelevant,” he’ll turn into the lowest-drafted quarterback to ever begin a Tremendous Bowl. What does this matchup maintain in retailer for us? Will it characteristic loads of factors, or extra protection? Who will win Tremendous Bowl MVP? Let’s break down 5 early predictions for our closing recreation of the 2023 NFL season.
Final week, Mahomes grew to become the primary quarterback to not be sacked and never flip the ball over in three straight playoff video games courting to final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl, however he was taken down two occasions in opposition to the Ravens. Getting stress on the quarterback will likely be some extent of emphasis for Steve Wilks’ unit. 
The 49ers protection has struggled this postseason, permitting a median of 386 whole yards per recreation, which ranks No. 6 among the many eight groups that performed a minimum of two playoff video games this 12 months. Bosa goes to take it upon himself to be a game-changer. In 11 playoff video games, Bosa has recorded 10 sacks. He acquired to Mahomes as soon as throughout their final Tremendous Bowl assembly. This time, he will get to the quarterback twice. 
Within the final Tremendous Bowl matchup between these two groups, the Chiefs had been down 10 factors coming into the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, Mahomes’ offense scored 21 unanswered factors to win by 11. We can’t see that a lot scoring within the closing stanza this time round, however the ball will likely be in Purdy’s arms with an opportunity to win the sport late.
Down 24-20 with two minutes remaining within the recreation, the 49ers offense takes the sector following a Tommy Townsend touchback. Purdy begins choosing up chunk performs by means of the air, first on a Christian McCaffrey display screen that picks up 12 yards, adopted by a 10-yard pickup from George Kittle after which a 20-yard catch and run from Brandon Aiyuk. It seems to be like San Francisco goes to drag this off. In any case, Purdy had zero game-winning drives within the common season, and two game-winning drives in two playoff video games. Nonetheless, it isn’t meant to be for 49ers followers, as Purdy and Deebo Samuel aren’t on the identical web page on a timing route, resulting in a Nick Bolton interception. 
The 49ers opened up as slight favorites over the Chiefs, however the line instantly began shifting in Kansas Metropolis’s course. Individuals understand getting Mahomes at plus cash is an auto-bet, identical to it was in final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see how the road strikes over the following two weeks, however underdogs are 3-0 in opposition to the unfold within the final three Tremendous Bowls. Favorites are 29-26-2 all time.
Mahomes is 10-1-1 ATS in his profession as an underdog, and 9-3 straight up. He is additionally 3-0 SU as an underdog in his playoff profession, with two of these wins coming over the past two weeks. 
The Chiefs have led for two:05:36 this postseason. That is the fourth-most by a group coming into the Tremendous Bowl since 2000. As for the 49ers, they’ve led for 27:30. That is the least period of time led by a group coming into the Tremendous Bowl since 2000. The Chiefs even have one of the best protection of the Andy Reid period with 17.3 factors per recreation allowed within the common season, and 13.7 factors per recreation allowed in three postseason contests. The Chiefs aren’t going to waste one of the best protection Mahomes has ever had, and can cement this group as a dynasty. 
That is additionally why I’ve this recreation going Below. The Below is 14-6 in Chiefs video games this 12 months, and 9-9-1 in 49ers video games. The Chiefs did not want an offensive explosion to defeat the Ravens, whereas the 49ers wanted to create a second-half offensive explosion simply to have an opportunity vs. Detroit. 
A whopping 12 out of the final 17 Tremendous Bowl MVPs have been the quarterbacks of the profitable group. In actual fact, when Kansas Metropolis defeated San Francisco again in 2020, I believed it ought to have been Damien Williams that gained Tremendous Bowl MVP, not Mahomes. Mahomes turned the ball over twice whereas Williams averaged 6.1 yards per stick with it 17 rushes, and scored as soon as on the bottom and as soon as by means of the air. However, MVP is a quarterback award, whether or not that be within the common season or Tremendous Bowl.
I predict Mahomes will turn into the primary participant to win three Tremendous Bowl MVPs in a five-year span. One other Tremendous Bowl MVP would make him the third participant in NFL historical past to win three Tremendous Bowl MVPs, together with Joe Montana (3) and Tom Brady (5).
Kelce is already a Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer, and an NFL postseason legend as nicely. He at present ranks second in playoff receiving yards (1,810), first in playoff receptions (156) and second in playoff receiving touchdowns (19). 
After his third Tremendous Bowl win during which he scores a landing, with Taylor Swift by his facet as confetti falls from the sky, Kelce makes an eyebrow-raising remark regarding his future, saying he’ll take a while to ponder what’s subsequent. That ramps up retirement hypothesis, and Kelce in the end does step away this offseason, identical to his brother. 
Tremendous Bowl LVIII is ready for Feb. 11 on CBS. The sport may also be broadcast on Nickelodeon and streamed on Paramount+.  
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