2020 Super Bowl Preview
This February 2, the best team in the NFC battles the best team in the AFC. The 2020 Super Bowl is a clash between the defense led San Francisco 49ers and the Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. This year’s Super Bowl provides plenty of intriguing storylines. Will the 49ers’ defense contain Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense? Can Kansas City stop San Francisco’s incredible rushing attack? Which coach, Kyle Shanahan or Andy Reid, will come up with the perfect game plan? We answer those questions and make a prediction for the 2020 Super Bowl!
Super Bowl 2020: San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Sunday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 pm ET
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
- TV: FOX
- Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
- Radio: 49ers / Chiefs
Super Bowl 2020 Odds
- Spread Line: Chiefs -2
- Moneyline: 49ers +110 / Chiefs -130
- Over/Under: 55
San Francisco 49ers Offense vs Kansas City Chiefs Defense
The 49ers have a reputation as being a defense only team. That’s just not true. San Francisco’s offense ranked second in the NFL in points scored per game. The 49ers posted 29.9 points per. Not only did the 49ers average a ton of points each game, they did it with balance. San Francisco averages 381.1 total yards. 237 are passing yards while 144.1 are rushing yards.
If required, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will throw for 300 yards. More often than not, that wasn’t required during the season. The reason? The San Francisco 49ers have a devastating rushing attack. It showed up big time in the playoffs. SF ran for 186 yards versus the stout Minnesota front seven. The rushing attack blasted Green Bay away with 285 rushing yards in the NFC Championship.
Such an awesome offense faces what many feel is a bad Kansas City defense. Again, it’s just not true. Although the Chiefs have a reputation for not playing much defense, the unit ranked near the bottom in 2018, this season’s KC Chiefs D rocked it.
3 teams out of 8 scored 21 points or more against the Chiefs in the final 6 regular season games and KC’s 2 playoff wins. No team scored more than 31 points against Kansas City. The Chiefs rank ahead of San Francisco’s defense in points allowed per at 19.3.
Based on Kansas City’s defensive stats, it feels like the Chiefs have an edge. Hate to break it to KC fans, but the Chiefs’ biggest flaw is an SF strength. Kansas City allows 128.2 rushing yards per game.
Even though the Chiefs bottled up Titans’ running back Derrick Henry in the AFC Championship, let’s not kid ourselves. The San Francisco 49ers will open up holes. The Niners’ offense has the edge over the Chiefs’ defense.
Super Bowl Edge: 49ers’ Offense
Kansas City Chiefs Offense vs San Francisco 49ers Defense
San Francisco’s defense ranked second in total yards allowed. Opponents averaged 281.8 yards per against the 49ers. The Niners ranked first in passing yards allowed. Teams were good for 169.2 passing yards each game. Opponents averaged 19.4 points per.
Although those stats are fantastic, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback the 49ers will face this season. He’s much better than Kirk Cousins, the Vikings’ quarterback. He’s playing much better than Aaron Rodgers was, Green Bay’s future hall of fame signal-caller.
Mahomes blitzed both the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. He produced a combined 8 to 0 TD to INT ratio. He threw for a combined 615 yards. Those numbers should worry San Francisco 49ers’ fans. But what should really worry them is how Patrick Mahomes rushed for 53 yards and a TD against the Titans and 53 yards from 7 carries against the Texans.
Patrick will burn San Francisco with his legs if they insist on double-teaming Travis Kelce and either Sammy Watkins or Tyreek Hill. That gives KC’s offense the edge.
Super Bowl. Edge: Chiefs’ Offense
49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan’s Strategy vs Chiefs Coach Andy Reid’s Strategy
Patrick Mahomes has wheels. Like most teams, the 49ers are likely to mark Mahomes with a safety. That takes away from double-teams. No linebacker in the NFL can guard Chiefs’ tight-end Travis Kelce. Not only that but the 49ers’ can’t double-team both Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill.
It means that Shanahan figures to give Mahomes some things while taking away other things. He knows playing against the Kansas City Chiefs is different than playing against the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. Shanahan also knows that his team can win a shootout. Look back at the 48-46 win over the Saints in New Orleans for proof.
Andy Reid’s strategy is simple. Do the best they can on defense, bend but don’t break, use up clock when the Chiefs have the ball, and score touchdowns instead of field goals. Reid can pull off his strategy because he’s got the best quarterback in the NFL under center. Shanahan can pull off his strategy because he’s got a dynamite rushing attack.
Super Bowl Edge: Even
2020 Super Bowl Final Score Prediction
Expect a high-scoring game. No way either defense stops the other team’s offense. Both squads could shatter the over/under odds by scoring over 30 in Super Bowl 54. It’s impossible to stop Patrick Mahomes because he’s the ultimate package. He’s got both the physical tools and mental acuity to rock at the position. He can run almost as well as Lamar Jackson. Nobody has the same blend of accuracy and arm strength on passes of 30 yards or more.
It’s a dream to expect a team that allows over 128 rushing yards per to stop San Francisco’s ground attack. The 49ers will run at will, which means both teams must score in the red zone to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Which team has the edge in red zone efficiency? The Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs scored 7 touchdowns in 8 red zone appearances versus the Houston Texans. That’s 88%. They were only 67%, 2-of-3, in the red zone against the Tennessee Titans. But Mahomes connected with Watkins for a 60-yard TD and he ran for a 27-yard TD.
The 49ers were 2-of-3 in the red zone against Green Bay. Raheem Mostert scored a 36-yard rushing TD and a 22-yard rushing TD. Garoppolo passed for 77 yards and didn’t throw a TD. San Francisco’s red zone efficiency was only 60% against the Vikings.
Those are red flags. Although both teams could score over 30 points, Kansas City is lock to score over 30. The 49ers should kick more field goals than score touchdowns. It’s likely that the Niners score less than 30. The Chiefs win a close one due to their better big play passing ability and better red zone efficiency.
Super Bowl 54 Final Score Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 42 – San Francisco 49ers 35
