Super Bowl 54: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

It’s always a special occasion when the Super Bowl returns to Miami. Like a certain spaceport in “Star Wars,” South Florida is the perfect hive of scum and villainy, wrapped up in a humid bow. With alligators. It’s glorious.

And yet, a gloom has hung over the area, undoubtedly from the untimely death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven other souls in a horrific helicopter crash on Sunday. People have been hesitant to even talk about football as the game seems suddenly unimportant in the wake of such sad news.

However, as one comes to learn over the years, life doesn’t stop. It continues on, in the face of death and tragedy, immune to emotion. So, we’re forced to pick up the pieces as a society and forge ahead.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

And so things have. This is an especially annoying time of the year to observe the sports media. Legions of self-important TV personalities and writers descend on the Super Bowl site and elbow each other, fighting for space to ask the next stupid question at media day and post pictures from cool parties that you aren’t invited to. And then after a few hours on Sunday, it’s all over. The garish TV sets are taken down and life returns to normal.

So, let’s concentrate on what’s fun for us: the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Damian Williams/LeSean McCoy

If the 49ers follow the script they’ve used this postseason, they’re going to lean on their running game. That means they’ll chew time off the clock and take the wind out of Kansas City’s defensive front seven. And while the Chiefs are able to score fast, that might not be the best option on Sunday.

They’re going to need to slow the tempo at times, in order to give their defense a chance to rest. That’s where Williams and McCoy come in. Whatever they’ve been saving in their tanks needs to be used. That means positive yards on early downs, which will eventually open up even more space for Patrick Mahomes to strike with big plays.

Raheem Mostert

The 49ers have quite the luxury in their backfield as they have three capable running backs at their disposal. They’ve been so solid, that Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t had to do much passing since the playoffs began. Matt Breida is the speedster, Tevin Coleman is physical and can ground out tough yards, and Mostert is the perfect combination of the other two.

It was Mostert who starred in the NFC championship, running for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the win. And with Coleman limited in practice this week, Mostert could find himself with the rock in his hands a majority of the time on Sunday.

Emmanuel Moseley

Richard Sherman typically sucks all the oxygen out of a room, so most people probably haven’t heard about the “other” 49ers cornerback. But defensive coordinator Robert Saleh calls Moseley “unflappable” and he’ll need to be against the Chiefs.

Sherman will stick to his side of the field, so you can expect Kansas City to roll their more talented offensive weapons to Moseley’s area. So at any time he could be facing Tyreek Hill, or Mecole Hardman, or Sammy Watkins or anyone else Andy Reid chooses.

He’ll need his “A” game to get through this one.

Frank Clark

The Chiefs had one of the worst run defenses in the league earlier this season, but they’ve turned things around since. Yet, they should be nervous since they haven’t faced a running attack like the one they’ll see this week.

And from his defensive end spot, Clark is going to get a steady dose of different running back, all with fresh legs. What’s worse, Clark ran his mouth this week, saying he isn’t too fond of Dee Ford, the former Chiefs defensive lineman who went to the 49ers this past offseason.

Power running game plus bulletin board material usually ends in a ghastly sum. Here’s hoping Clark can put his money where his mouth is.

Eric Fisher

Kansas City’s starting left tackle has his hands absolutely full. In fact, you wouldn’t blame him if his hands aren’t able to contain 49ers rookie pass rusher Nick Bosa, who has taken the world by storm.

It will be Fisher’s job to keep Bosa away from Pat Mahomes and make sure he doesn’t blow up plays before they get started. The 49ers have been able to get pressure on quarterbacks while only rushing four. That can’t happen if the Chiefs have any hope of winning.

Arik Armstead

Did you notice Armstead’s breakout 2019 campaign. It shouldn’t be a surprise since he’s the pass-rusher on the opposite side of Nick Bosa. Armstead has feasted with a team-leading 10 sacks this season. And if he and the rest of the 49ers’ defensive front do what they’ve been doing up until this point, they can make life miserable for Andy Reid’s offense.

PROP BET HIGHLIGHTS

Will the national anthem go over two minutes?

Demi Lovato, in the middle of a triumphant comeback, will get the honor of honoring America on Sunday. While I can’t say I’m a fan of her work, I’ve seen her being interviewed and some of her past live performances.

This is easy money. She’s definitely singing longer than two minutes. She’ll have the stage all to herself, so she will take it slow.

Will the opening kickoff be a touchback?

It’s a cliche bet, but I’m going to say yes. This Super Bowl features two rosters filled with players who haven’t been to this grand stage. Don’t be surprised to see some early sloppiness and guys deal with the jitters.

Whoever wins the toss isn’t going to try anything cute. They’ll have their kicker boot the ball as long as possible, preferably out of the end zone. And if someone does catch the ball in the painted area, he’s not bringing it out. Why take the risk of an early turnover?

Will either team score in the first 5 ½ minutes of the game?

I’m going to say no. With very few exceptions, scoring is usually at a premium in the first quarter of Super Bowls. Both coaching staffs have been watching so much film over the previous two weeks, the early going usually consists of the teams feeling each other out. Take the over here.

What will happen first: Sack or touchdown?

It all depends on who gets the ball first. If Kansas City receives the opening kickoff, I’ll bet on a sack coming first. If it’s San Francisco on offense first, touchdown is the safer bet.

Will there be a special teams or defensive touchdown?

The 49ers made a living forcing untimely turnovers and getting points as a result. Meanwhile, one only has to go back in their memory to the AFC divisional round. The Chiefs were trailing the Texans by 24 points in the second quarter, when a special teams big play sparked a comeback that will go down in NFL lore.

So, I’d say the chances of one or both happening is pretty good.

Damien Williams rushing yards

Sportsline is setting the over/under at 53.5 yards. This gets back to what I was saying above. If the Chiefs can find a way to chew up the clock with some timely runs, Williams should be a shoo-in to hit the over.

Number of Jennifer Lopez wardrobe changes

Will it be less or more than 2.5 changes? More easy money. There’s no way she’ll wear less than five costumes on Sunday. She’s sharing the stage with Shakira, which means she’ll be competing with the Colombian star. This is the easiest pick of the week.

WHO IS GOING TO WIN?

Before the season started, I picked the Eagles and Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl. I was right on Kansas City and I would have been correct on Philadelphia if the Eagles roster hadn’t been decimated by injuries.

I predicted the Chiefs would win the game and give Andy Reid the Super Bowl trophy that has always eluded him. Things have changed since then. I’m going to flip-flop like a politician.

The 49ers have a running attack the likes I haven’t seen before. They seem perfectly comfortable having Garoppolo hand off all day and not even pretend to be balanced. And while Kansas City’s defense has been stouter than last season’s putrid mess, it’s not enough.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was roasted for blowing a 28-3 Super Bowl lead against the Patriots when he was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. People screamed and yelled, wondering why he didn’t just run the ball and burn the clock.

That won’t be a problem on Sunday. What’s more, San Francisco has one of the league’s most feared defensive units. And when dynamic offenses meet strong defenses, it’s the defense that usually ends up on top.

My pick: 49ers