5 bold Super Bowl predictions for San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Prediction No. 3: Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead will take advantage of the absence of Joe Thuney, record one sack each.

One advantage the 49ers will perhaps be able to exploit is that one of the best guards in the business in Joe Thuney has been officially ruled out of the Super Bowl due to a pectoral injury.

While it was expected that Thuney would miss the Super Bowl, he had been in a race against time to play. You just never know.

But with Thuney out, defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave have a much more favorable matchup in pressuring Patrick Mahomes. Pressuring Mahomes into making mistakes is simply a must if the 49ers are to win the Lombardi Trophy.

Hargrave and Armstead haven't been their best during the 49ers playoff run, but they undoubtedly are one of the more talented pairs of defensive tackles in the NFL.

With Thuney out, both will get through the gaps to take down Mahomes for a sack each.

And remember, quarterbacks hate interior pressure much more than pressure from the edge rushers. It's much easier to step up into the pocket and out of pressure as opposed to having it in your face. So even if they don't get sacks, the pressure could work just as well.

Look for the duo to have a big game, the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes may very well rest on it.