LAS VEGAS Eight teams won the Super Bowl back-to-back. If the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, they would become the first club in 19 years to win the Lombardi Trophy twice.
Four years prior, the Chiefs coach Andy Reid faced up against 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan in the Super Bowl. “The 49ers are a really talented team. Reid remarked, “They’re a better team than the one we played (in 2020).” That game was won 31–20 by the Chiefs. There are just four head coaches with three or more Super Bowl victories, and the winner of the first meeting has prevailed in the last three coaching rematches in the Super Bowl.
That would be encouraging for Reid. The 65-year-old, who is 2-2 in Super Bowls—including a victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV—is getting closer to becoming one of the all-time greats on the career victories list. He places a great deal of responsibility on the rebuilt defense and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is 3-0 in his career versus the 49ers in three games (both regular season and postseason) with 1,023 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. “I think the quarterback is as hard to beat as anyone who’s ever played the game,” stated Shanahan.
“The things he is capable of doing technically, combined with his plan and Andy’s current approach to managing a club with Mahomes’ experience. For this reason, they always have a chance, regardless of the kind of game they’re playing—low- or high-scoring, struggling or not.” At age 28, Mahomes is the youngest quarterback in league history to start four Super Bowls with a 14-3 record in 17 career playoff games. By triumphing on Sunday, Mahomes would tie Tom Brady’s record of seven victories in ten games and earn his third Super Bowl victory, something only five other quarterbacks have done. Brady began his fourth Super Bowl at the age of thirty. “I mean, I’m not even close to halfway (to Brady’s Super Bowl wins record),” Mahomes remarked after facing Brady head-to-head and losing both of his AFC Championship Game victories and his solitary Super Bowl loss.
“So, my current focus is on beating a fantastic 49ers team and attempting to win a third ring by any means possible. I’ll see if I can get close to seven if you ask me same question in around fifteen years. However, seven still seems like a long way off.” The Chiefs defense, which only has defensive lineman Chris Jones left and replaced ten other starters from the team that began Super Bowl LIV, won’t have many familiar faces for the 49ers. However, these are also not the 49ers of the past.
Running back and quarterback positions will shift as part of San Francisco’s makeover. After joining quarterback Brock Purdy as an MVP finalist, Christian McCaffrey—who was acquired via trade from the Carolina Panthers—tied for the NFL lead with 21 touchdowns in the regular season. Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy shot to stardom with a 21-5 record in the regular season and playoffs over the previous two seasons, making him the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
After suffering an elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game of the previous season, he had surgery, and now he’s playing for the 49ers in their eighth Super Bowl, which is tied for second most. In order to tie the record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, San Francisco is aiming for a sixth Lombardi Trophy. Joe Montana gave Purdy some straight advise, downplaying the necessity for San Francisco’s quarterback to steal the show. Purdy advised Montana’s mentor, “You’ve got a good team around you, just go through the reads and what Kyle’s calling and trust in Kyle.” You’re not need to be a celebrity or anything. You have a strong team around you, so if you go out and do your job, you guys can win.”
After the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Mike Shanahan, Shanahan’s father, won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos. In addition to being the offensive coordinator for the Falcons during Atlanta’s 2016 season-ending loss to Brady and the Patriots, Kyle Shanahan lost his one and only chance to win a championship as a head coach in the first meeting with Reid. “I’ve been able to coach in two Super Bowls and to lose either of them, both of them are heartbreaking,” said Kyle Shanahan. Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs defensive coordinator, faces more important challenges than just McCaffrey and Purdy.
He has the opportunity to become the first coordinator in NFL history to win four Super Bowls. Though it trails the 49ers in turnover margin, the Chiefs’ defense is still quite good, ranking second in the NFL in points per game (17.3 average). Kansas City was minus-11, and San Francisco was plus-10. The Chiefs’ defense has improved, though, as they have only allowed 41 points in total from the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens this postseason.
“We focus on the points allowed, our third down, red zone, turnovers, two-minute, all the situational things,” Spagnuolo stated. “Let’s be honest: Preventing points from being scored is a defensive unit’s first priority. That makes it possible for your team to win.” In 2023, Jones and cornerback Trent McDuffie were selected to the first team of the All-Pros.
As he did with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs in the divisional playoffs and Miami’s Tyreek Hill in the wild-card round, the Chiefs rely on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to destroy the top receiver on the other side. It’s a crapshoot to determine which 49ers playmaker is the most dangerous. Along with Purdy surpassing 4,000 passing yards, McCaffrey reached 2,000 yards from scrimmage for San Francisco, while three of his teammates—wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, as well as tight end George Kittle—surpassed 1,000 total yards.
“They’re the best I’ve ever seen,” Jones declared. “This is the biggest challenge we’ve faced so far.”
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