With the Super Bowl coming up on Feb. 2, there is a lot of hype surrounding the big game this year. The big, bad, New England Patriots got eliminated in the divisional round, allowing fan-favorite Patrick Mahomes to lead his Chiefs to the grand finale of the NFL season. This made most of America happy with the representative of the American Football Conference (AFC). There was more of the same for the National Football Conference (NFC) representative, the 49ers. After going 4-12 in the 2018-2019 season, they shocked the world and ended the regular season with a 13-3 record. They then ran through the NFC in the playoffs behind superstar tight end, George Kittle, and dominant rookie defensive end, Nick Bosa. This is shaping up to be a Super Bowl for the ages, let’s see what the minds of 42Fifty have to say about the biggest sports event of the year.
Thomas Jagoda, Staff Writer: Chiefs 37-31
I am extremely excited for this year’s Super Bowl, after years of doom and gloom watching the patriots versus whoever won out in the NFC playoffs is over. Well, at least taking a break for this years’ contest. It is a tale of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. The unstoppable force being the electrifying Pat Mahomes Kansas City offense and the immovable object being the 49ers stout defense. Now yes, the famous saying is “Defense wins championships”, but Patrick Mahomes is different. He has big play ability that has the ability to overpower almost every NFL defense. Also, I do not see the 49ers defense being in the same conversation as the 1985 Chicago Bears or 2013 Seahawks defense. I don’t see them taking over the game like these defenses did in Super Bowl XX and Super Bowl XLVIII, respectively. The way I see it, the 49ers do not have the offensive prowess to keep up with Kansas City’s attack. I have the Chiefs edging out the 49ers 37-31.
Alex Mielcarz, Managing Editor: 49ers 51-45
This years’ Super Bowl has lacked the hype of past years. But nonetheless, the game is sure to rack in the viewers that it always does. In terms of actual football, the game is a bit of a toss-up unlike past years. The Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs are an intriguing pick favored in the current spread by -1.5 points, but their defense will be their downfall. The San Francisco 49er’s offense is just too good and too explosive offensively for the Chiefs to contain. Mahomes can go blow for blow with Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garappolo, but the Niners have what the Chiefs lack: A defense, and it’s going to be the difference in the game. 49er’s win a shootout, 51-45.
P.S. the over/under is 52.5. Take the over (if legal, of course).
Jamani Reed, Managing Editor: Chiefs 39- 33
I have two words for you: PATRICK MAHOMES. In the words of the great Stephen A. Smith, “that is a baaaad man.” This man has been unstoppable all season, and to think the 9ers, while nonetheless a good defense, can beat Mahomie and his offense, is a bit of a stretch. Jimmy Garoppolo is potentially looking for revenge, seeing as the Chiefs were the team he went down against last season with a torn ACL. The 49ers are a strong team, but the Chiefs will come out victorious in this bout.
John Kean, Sports Editor: 49ers 52-49
The San Francisco 49er’s offense will overpower the Kansas City Chiefs defense. The 49er’s offense stacked with breakout running back Raheem Mostert and dominant tight end George Kittle. When you look at the Chief’s defensive weapons it comes down to three people, Tyrann Mathieu, Frank Clark, and Kendall Fuller. Three people cannot stop the 49er’s offense. Patrick Mahomes’ play this season has been very good. However, Richard Sherman and the 49er’s defense will without a doubt shut down the Chiefs steamroller offense. The Mahomes and Tyreek Hill duo will be put to the test. Richard Sherman will be matched up with Hill for the entirety of the game. With Hill lockdowned with Sherman, it allows for Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson to create havoc in the upfield. Jimmy Garrappolo has the experience of playing in the Super Bowl with two NFL legends: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. I feel that this will boost his confidence going into the game this Sunday. With the 49er’s improving their receiving corps this season, this will allow for Garoppolo to take risks with his passing. Looking at the kickers on both sides as well, there is veteran Robbie Gould for the 49er’s and there’s 24-year-old Harrison Butker. Butker has been solid for the Chiefs this year kicking at 89% this year. His range is longer than Robbie Gould’s this year at 56 yards oppose to Gould’s 54 yarder. San Francisco 49er’s win 52-49 in overtime.
Evan Sharrard, Sports Editor: 49ers 31-29.
While I wholeheartedly think that this game could go either way, I think San Francisco will end up on top for their sixth Lombardi. San Francisco is led offensively by one of the best minds in football, Kyle Shanahan, who has snuck away from the zone running concepts of his lineage. Shanahan has installed one of the best running offenses in the league, relying on both power and zone runs to drive the ball down the field. This incredible run game is complemented by a quick and effective west coast passing game: look for the deep shot, if it’s not available, throw a safe short route to pick up a few yards. That’s just San Francisco’s offense, the defense is quite possibly the best unit in football. The defense is led by standout rookie— likely defensive rookie of the year and possibly AP defensive player of the year— Nick Bosa. Bosa has led one of the fiercest front sevens this season, and for that reason, I think they can stop Kansas City’s high flying offense. Despite a possible Tyreek Hill shot play, I expect the 49ers to stop the Chiefs just enough to rush through the Chiefs defense and win a tight game, 31-29.
Lizzy Sorensen, Sports Editor: Chiefs 35-31
This Super Bowl is a QB battle featuring two young stars in the league: Patrick Mahomes and Jimmy Garropolo. Arguably two of the most talented players in the league, they have risen to fame in the last few seasons. These two teams were both close to a title last year; the Chiefs were defeated in OT by the Patriots, who went on to win the Super Bowl, and the 49ers were off to a strong start before Garropolo suffered a season-ending injury. This injury came against the very team they face in the Super Bowl: the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a comeback year for both teams, motivating them to play at the high-level fans have seen all season. The strong defense of the 49ers will slow down the explosive offense of the Chiefs, but it won’t be enough for a victory.
Brett Fetro, Staff Writer: Chiefs 34-31
As an avid Green Bay Packers fan, I’m hoping that my pick against the 49ers isn’t too heavily biased. Despite the great season that the Packers had in their first season with new head coach Matt LaFleur, San Francisco absolutely dominated them in the 2 meetings they had this season, including the matchup in which they actually made it to the Super Bowl. Without question, my loyalty lies with the Packers, but as a fan of this wonderful game, I have to give so much credit to the 49ers. The ability to completely flip from being one of the worst teams to one of the best in the course of one year is something you don’t see quite often. This season was the ultimate comeback for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The only thing I have going against them is that the Kansas City Chiefs have a comeback story of their own. After a season in which the Chiefs lost a heartbreaker in the AFC championship against the mighty New England Patriots, it seems as if they are poised to avenge this close defeat . Lead by MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs offense has been one of the hottest we have seen in a long time. After seeing them score relentlessly against both the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, I don’t expect them to slow down anytime soon. While the offense has been red hot, I think the acquisition of Frank Clark and veterans like Tyrann Mathieu and Terrell Suggs has been a huge upgrade to a defense that was heavily criticized last year. I think this is going to be a great battle between two teams with tremendous depth on both sides on the field. I’m giving the slight edge to the Chiefs, but don’t be too surprised if the 49ers put up a fight and take home their first Lombardi trophy since 1995.
Michael Klein, Staff Writer: 49ers 38-31
This year’s Super Bowl will match up the run heavy San Francisco 49ers and the high flying passing offense of the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers have dominated in the run game in the regular season and have not slowed down in the postseason. They have averaged over two hundred yards per game in the two games they played and a total of six rushing touchdowns. They also have a great defense with a run defense that held their opponents to less than fifty yards per game and a secondary that has three total interceptions in the postseason. The Chiefs on the other hand have man handled their opponents averaging forty-three points per game in the postseason. They did that thanks to their MVP caliber quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He has thrown eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in the postseason. Their defense is not as great as the 49ers but they can still hold their own. Their defense has held opponents to less than ninety rushing yards per game but also did let up two hundred seventy passing yards per game this postseason. This might force the 49ers to throw the ball which will be their biggest struggle because they have not done much this postseason with a combined total of twenty seven passing attempts in two postseason games. The Chiefs will have to go up against one of the best defenses in the league and that might slow things down for this high scoring offense. No matter the result, this Super Bowl should bring a lot more action than last year’s, but my prediction for this year’s Super Bowl will be that the 49ers will win in a close one.
Ryan Lemerman, Staff Writer: 49ers 38-27
Last year’s Super Bowl lacked excitement-that is for non-football fans. It was a game of strictly defense. Even Travis Scott without autotune and Adam Levine did not live up to the hype. Unless you’re like me along with most football fans, who recognized the high defensive play from both the Rams and the Patriots. For the NFL’s 54th championship game, we will see a high-powered Chiefs offense, sterly managed by Patrick Mahomes. It is very likely, we will see much more scoring than LIII, which should keep viewers around the country on their seats. Kansas City’s passing defense is surprisingly consistent, giving up 221 yards per game. Though their run defense has been terrible, giving up 128.2 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL. Switching to the NFC, the 49ers have been the league’s most consistent team. A lot of fans had doubts after losses to Seattle and Atlanta. Many had thought the Vikings would upset the Bay after an impressive upset against the Saints. But continuously, the 49ers prove everyone wrong. A top-three defense will control the Chiefs sparks of offense and it’s running back core of Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman should shred up the Chiefs front. NFL fans will not be exhausted the following Monday, because they got enough rest sleeping on the 49ers.
Student Publication of Oswego High School, Oswego, IL
