Super Bowl LIV: 5 reasons the 49ers can beat the Chiefs
By Chris Wilson
The early odds have the Kansas City Chiefs as favorites over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54, yet there are plenty of reasons why the Niners can emerge victorious.
The San Francisco 49ers are poised to win their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history, making it back to the NFL championship for the first time since 2012 after beating the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the 2020 NFC Championship Game this past Sunday.
Awaiting the Niners in Super Bowl LIV will be the Kansas City Chiefs, who punched their ticket by upending the Tennessee Titans 35-24 in the AFC Championship Game earlier in the day, ending a 50-year drought for Super Bowl appearances by Kansas City.
The early odds are in, and the Action Network currently has the Chiefs as a one-point favorite this contest, essentially making it a “pick em” game.
It’s not hard to understand why.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, last season’s MVP, is doing things 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has come nowhere close to achieving. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, another innovative offensive play caller, has years more experience than his counterpart, Kyle Shanahan.
Kansas City has far more offensive weapons than either of the two teams San Francisco has faced in the postseason, the Minnesota Vikings or Packers. And given the national narrative surrounding Mahomes, Reid, and Kansas City’s elongated absence from the Super Bowl, it’s hard not to root for the Chiefs in this final showdown of the season.
While a lot of credit is being given to Kansas City—and rightfully so—perhaps not enough is being dished out to San Francisco. In fact: There are plenty of reasons why the 49ers can pull off a win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
Here are five such reasons why it could happen.