MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Well, this is something different.
The Chiefs and 49ers will meet in Super Bowl LIV here at Hard Rock Stadium, marking the first time the two storied franchises will have met in a postseason game.
Kansas City hasn't appeared in a Super Bowl since winning Super Bowl IV against the Vikings, while the 49ers haven't been to the NFL's championship game since the 2012 season, when they lost to the Ravens.
Each of the six Super Bowls since the 49ers were last here has featured the Patriots, Broncos or Seahawks, so the infusion of new blood into sport's premiere game has been a welcome addition for many.
This game also features two of the game's best offensive minds in Kansas City coach Andy Reid and his San Francisco counterpart, Kyle Shanahan. But they go about things in a different fashion.
While Reid's offenses are predicated on throwing the ball and going for big plays, Shanahan's is more old-school, using a fullback in a run-heavy attack. The Chiefs were forced to come from behind after slow starts in both of their wins, while the 49ers dominated from start to finish.
"I'm sure there will be a lot more teams using two-back sets," Reid said this week. "Especially given the success the 49ers have had with it."
That formula might be easier to copy than that of Reid, which relies on the talents of Patrick Mahomes and a set of skill players that might be the fastest in the league.
But this won't be the first trip for either Reid or Shanahan to the Super Bowl.
Reid made it in all the way back in 2004, losing to the Patriots, 24-21. He'll be the 24th head coach in NFL history to appear in more than one Super Bowl. Reid's 15 years between Super Bowl appearances is the second-longest in league history behind Dick Vermeil (19 years).
He also owns the most wins in NFL history (207) without a championship.
"You understand you don’t get these opportunities all the time,” Mahomes said. “We want to get this for him.”
The 49ers could say the same for Shanahan. Prior to joining San Francisco three years ago, Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons when they blew a 28-3 lead against the Patriots to lose 34-28 in overtime.
Shanahan received a lot of the blame for that loss for choosing to continue to throw the ball with the big lead instead of running it more.
Shanahan and his father, Mike, are the first father-son duo to each serve as head coach in an NFL championship game. Mike Shanahan led the Broncos to a Super Bowl.
“I can speak first-hand that I’ve been a part of a Super Bowl and a lot of people blame me for a lot of stuff and you know what, I’m still alive and I was all right the next day,” Shanahan said. “You know what I’m happy for is, you go as hard as you can, you do as good as you can and you live with the consequences.”
Nobody will question the 49ers for running the ball too little now. Quarterback Jimmy Garappolo has thrown just 27 passes in San Francisco's two playoff wins to reach the Super Bowl, including just eight times in the team's NFC Championship win over the Packers.
It should make for an interesting clash of styles. Kansas City's leading rusher in the playoffs is Mahomes with 106 yards on 15 carries.
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Hard Rock Stadium
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM 82, 83, Internet 815, 827
• Forecast: 69 degrees, 10 percent chance of rain
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Chiefs: None
49ers: None
THE KEY VARIABLE
The 49ers and Chiefs both rely heavily on their tight ends. In fact, San Francisco's George Kittle and Kansas City's Travis Kelce are arguably the two best tight ends in the NFL.
This will mark the first Super Bowl matchup between two tight ends who both had over 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season.
And they do it in different fashions. Kittle, who had 85 catches for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games, does most of his damage after the catch. He led the position with 20 missed tackles forced this season.
Kelce, meanwhile, caught 21 of his 97 receptions for 1,229 yards 15 or more yards downfield this season, the most by a tight end since 2015.
But Kittle also is considered one of the league's best blockers at the position. When he's on the field, the 49ers average 5.6 yards per carry on runs outside the tackles. When he isn't, that average falls to 3.3 yards.
There's plenty of respect between the two.
“There's a reason why he was labeled this year’s first-team All-Pro,” Kelce said of Kittle. “The tenacity he plays with in the blocking and receiving game is incredible. And he’s an animal when he gets the ball in his hands.”
Kittle is equally as impressed with Kelce's game, especially his four-straight 1,000-yard seasons, a first at the position.
“What’s not to like? I love everything about how he plays,” Kittle said of Kelce, who was second-team All-Pro. “I have been watching Kelce since I was a junior in college. I did homework assignments on him from my college coach. I’ve been watching and learning from him. He’s the best red-zone threat in the NFL. He demands double coverage down there. He has such a good feel for the game."
It's not a stretch to say the team whose tight end makes the greater impact will win this game.
And it will be fun to watch.
“We’re feeding off of what guys like Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates did before us,” Kelce said. “It’s something we have to keep going in the league, making sure the tight end remains a vital and productive position.”
THE HISTORY LESSON
The Chiefs and 49ers have never before met in the postseason and have played each other just 13 times, the last time coming in Kansas City in 2018, a 38-27 Chiefs' win.
Interestingly enough, the Chiefs have never won in San Francisco, with the 49ers taking five of six games between the two teams there. And Kansas City is 5-2 against the 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium.
The most important game between the two teams came in 1994 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Why was it important? Because it matched former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, traded to Kansas City in 1993, against his former team.
But it was two interceptions by the Chiefs against Montana's successor, Steve Young, that was the difference in a 24-17 Kansas City win.
Montana threw a pair of touchdown passes, one to offensive tackle Joe Valerio and the second to tight end Keith Cash, as the Chiefs overcame being outgained in the game, 381-292, by forcing four turnovers and recording a safety when Derrick Thomas sacked Young in the end zone.
Young threw for 288 yards and a touchdown and scrambled for another 20 yards, but was sacked four times. Thomas had three of those.
Marcus Allen had 69 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for the Chiefs, who improved to 2-0 with the win.
The Chiefs won the game, but the 49ers had the last laugh. The loss was one of just three they had all season as they finished with the league's best record at 13-3. They finished off the year by routing the Chargers in the Super Bowl, 49-26.
The Chiefs? They finished 9-7 and lost a Wildcard game to the Dolphins. Montana retired after that season, completing his Hall of Fame career.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
Mahomes, who won NFL MVP in 2018 after throwing more than 50 touchdown passes in his first season as a starter, keys what might be the NFL's most explosive offense, with Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and others proving to be matchup nightmares for most defenses.
“At every position, it almost looks like they got their roster from the Olympic relay team and threw them all on the football field,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “Not to say they can’t run routes and catch either, because they can do that. They’re a special group, and you can see why they’re there.”
But the 49ers feel they might have the defense that can slow that explosive passing attack down.
The 49ers have five first-round draft picks on their defensive line, led by Nick Bosa, the second-overall selection in this year's draft, and Dee Ford, who came over in a trade from the Chiefs. The 49ers got 35 of their 48 sacks this season from their front four.
They can rush just four defenders and drop the rest, something that has slowed Mahomes, at times -- or at least as much as anything so far.
Since becoming a starter last season, Mahomes has thrown just 17 interceptions. But 16 of those have come when opposing teams have rushed just four players.
But mobile quarterbacks have been one thing that has bothered the 49ers defense, which ranked second in the league this season.
Both Seattle's Russell Wilson and Arizona's Kyler Murray caused them fits during the regular season.
"We're back playing a mobile quarterback and one who could throw better than any we've faced," Bosa said. "One of the biggest things is trying to keep him in the pocket and not let him escape when he wants to escape and make him uncomfortable."
If they can pressure Mahomes, it might lead to success. Mahomes was sacked just 17 times in 14 starts this season, but seven came in the three games the Chiefs lost when he started.
But getting to Mahomes might be easier said than done. He's been sacked just 12 times in Kansas City's last 11 games he started.
Mahomes, however, knows the 49ers defense will be a tough nut to crack.
"They're good everywhere," Mahomes said. "They play off each other. They know the scheme, they do it well. So for us, it's about going through the game plan and executing when coach (Andy Reid) calls 'em."
THE QUOTES
• "We love the challenge so it not about being nervous, it's about loving the opportunity to play against a great team and a great setting -- that's why we do this and that's the exciting part of it." -- Reid
• "If the game comes down to Jimmy's arm, Jimmy's gonna ball. I feel like me, (Kittle), Deebo (Samuel), Kendrick Bourne, everybody, it's just not on Jimmy. It's on us. We've got to get open. I feel like when we get open, he's going to deliver the ball, so it's hard to just say it's on Jimmy's hands." -- 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on Garoppolo
• “I’m still in shock a little bit. I just feel so fortunate to be able to play my old team on the biggest stage there is in football. At the end of the day, we’re both on two of the biggest stages ever… it don’t feel real right now, but it’ll definitely hit me in game time.” -- Ford on playing his former team
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was matched up man-to-man 37 times in coverage against tight ends this season. He allowed one catch for five yards.
• The 49ers led the NFL in yards after the catch at 5.9 yards per catch.
• If the Chiefs win, they will end the second-longest Lombardi Trophy drought among teams that have already won a Super Bowl. The Jets, who have gone 51 years since winning their only Super Bowl, have he longest streak.
• 49ers running back Raheem Mostert had 220 rushing yards in the team's NFC Championship win over the Packers. He had 229 yards rushing in his first two NFL seasons -- for six different teams.
• The Chiefs have not lost a game by more than 7 points with Mahomes at quarterback.
• This is the first Super Bowl in which the primary color of both teams' uniforms is red.
• Mahomes has scrambled 10 times in the Chiefs' two playoff games for 112 yards.
• The 49ers allowed just 34 receptions of 20 or more yards this season, the fewest in the NFL. They also allowed the fewest catches of 10 or more yards at 113, 12 fewer than any other team.
• The Chiefs led the league in passing plays of 30 or more yards with 34.
• The Chiefs finished plus-8 in turnover ratio this season. The 49ers were plus-4.
BEST BETS
• Team to have the most first downs in the game: 49ers minus-115. The 49ers are primarily a running team. The Chiefs like chunk plays.
• Most rushing yards in the game: Chiefs plus 49 1/2 yards, minus-120: The 49ers averaged 144.1 yards per game, the Chiefs 98.1. But Mahomes has run more in the playoffs, gaining over 100 yards himself in two playoff games.
• Total sacks in the game, both teams: 5 1/2, plus-165. Both of these teams get after the passer well, and 5 1/2 sacks isn't a lot.
• Most touchdown passes in the game: Mahomes minus-1/2, minus-120: It seems a pretty solid bet to think Mahomes will have one more passing touchdown than Garoppolo.
• Longest reception by Kittle: Over 22 1/2 yards, minus-120: Kittle averaged 12.4 yards per catch this season and the Chiefs allowed the fifth-most receiving yards by tight ends.
STAFF PICKS
Dale Lolley: This is a tough one to figure, hence the line hovering around 1 1/2 to 2 points with the Chiefs favored. San Francisco's defense is good. Very good. And now it is healthy. But the key will be the 49ers offense. If the 49ers can run the ball effectively -- and they usually do -- it could force the Chiefs into some tough situations because the 49ers also don't allow big plays defensively. And the Chiefs' offense is loaded with big-play talent. But the 49ers also play more zone defense than any team in football. That negates a lot of Reid's pre-snap movement. But it also could allow Kelce to find holes in the secondary. But something tells me the 49ers will get at least one more defensive stop than the Chiefs and that will be the difference in what should be a great game. 49ers, 30-27
Christopher Carter: The 49ers have a defense that is dangerous with exciting playmakers, but they also haven't faced anyone like the Chiefs. In the second half of the season, they gave up 46 points to the Saints and 31 to the Rams. Neither Drew Brees nor Jared Goff has been like Mahomes, and neither team had the speed the Chiefs have on offense. If the 49ers' offensive line fails to dominate the Chiefs like the Titans' offensive line did, it will force Garoppolo to show he can carry a team and make big plays. I've got the Chiefs building a solid lead and the 49ers storming back, but coming up short. Chiefs, 34-27
Hunter Homistek: How can you not like this matchup? While the Chiefs defense has come around and played some impressive football of late, this boils down to a classic offense vs. defense showdown — and I’m all the way here for it. Mahomes can hang 40 on anybody, and this game hinges on the Niners getting him on the turf early and often. I think they will. I’m already on the record with this score on “Sports on Tap” and “Morning Java,” so I’m sticking with it. I kinda wish I had predicted a higher-scoring affair on second thought, but hey. Gotta go with it. 49ers, 24-17
Dejan Kovacevic: I'll admit to maybe being unduly influenced by watching the 49ers out in Santa Clara in Week 3, when the Steelers were a fumble away from beating them in Mason Rudolph's starting debut. Regardless, there's a special feel to the Chiefs, and that originates mostly with Mahomes. As it should. He's the NFL's best player at the sport's most important position and, at the risk of sounding disrespectful, he's that much better than Garoppolo. That snaps all ties from this perspective. The Super Bowl's the stage for special talents. Chiefs, 42-24
