If there's a sentiment that encapsulates the way San Francisco 49ers fans should feel about the outcome of the NFL playoffs, it might best be expressed by Baltimore Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey:
I have no reason of saying this other than being a hater. The Bills or whatever NFC team gotta beat the Chiefs. We can’t let them keep getting away with this
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) January 21, 2025
Sure, the comments may not be going well for Humphrey (a mixture of Kansas City Chiefs fans who absolutely do not care about his opinion and many who are arriving somewhere in the neighborhood of "it could have been you, man").
But for the Niners, it may be right along the lines of the way the team is thinking.
Not to reopen old wounds, but the 49ers have lost to KC in the Super Bowl twice, both in rather heartbreaking fashion, which has to have members of the team and fans alike feeling rather negative feelings about the Chiefs and San Francisco's inability to beat them (the last five meetings since head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived have all been KC wins with the 49ers' last win coming in 2014).
That makes it pretty clear the Niners will not be rooting for the Chiefs to win another Super Bowl, especially after one of the more mediocre 15-win seasons in NFL history.
On the other side of the bracket sits another team the 49ers won't be rooting for: the Philadelphia Eagles.
This one is self-explanatory, as it's clear from their meetings the last two seasons since the Niners' loss in the NFC Championship game two years ago that there is no love lost between these two teams.
On top of that, we just saw the Chiefs and Eagles face off in the Super Bowl after that particular conference championship loss for the Niners, and nobody outside of those fanbases wants to see a retread.
That leaves one matchup option, with one fairly obvious rooting interest for the 49ers and their fans: the Buffalo Bills winning their first Super Bowl title over the Washington Commanders.
While seeing the Commanders win has some connections to San Francisco, namely former assistant general manager Adam Peters, a championship for Buffalo is a better outcome for the 49ers for one reason.
The Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL from the start of the season and have played like a contender since Week 1. Sure, they've had a few hiccups along the way (an ugly loss to the Ravens in Week 4 being the main one, since the Week 18 loss to New England didn't feature their starters). But by and large, Buffalo has been a force.
The Bills finished second in offensive scoring at just under 31 points per game, 10th in total yards, and first in rushing touchdowns, among other notable numbers, and while their defense hasn't been dominant, the unit allowing 21.6 points per game was good enough given the prolific nature of the offense.
All of that was led by MVP candidate Josh Allen, who is having a solid season in leading the charge, but his numbers (3,731 yards on 63.6-percent completions, 28 touchdowns, and six picks along with 531 rushing yards on 102 attempts and 12 additional scores) are actually not the best of his career in any category.
So, why does this make the Bills the best rooting interest for San Francisco?
Because the Bills are the team the 49ers have been at their most dominant and would like to be again as soon as next season, save for the difference at quarterback, since Brock Purdy for all his skills, is not the physical alien that Allen is.
The key connection is the balance that Buffalo showed on offense this season, something Shanahan is highly in favor of in his offensive scheme.
The Bills finished 26th in the league in passing attempts and ninth in rushing attempts, an attack spearheaded by 207 carries from running back James Cook, who finished with 1,009 yards and a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns.
To be fair, I'm not sure the 49ers or their fans will make a major stink either way, as the Bills or Commanders winning the Super Bowl is a better outcome than the alternatives.
But there are a lot of similarities between the 49ers and Bills in terms of roster makeup and just style of play, and I think the Niners would want to see that prove to be good enough to win a Super Bowl.
Oh, and Allen grew up a diehard 49ers fan, too.