The Super Bowl LVIII circus has arrived in Las Vegas and the big game is almost among us.
The long, gruelling, six-month NFL season will come to a climax on Sunday evening when either the San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs will hoist up the Vince Lombardi Trophy and confetti will fall from the Allegiant Stadium rafters.
After the previous two Super Bowls were settled by just three points each, another close one is expected this weekend. But will the Chiefs claim their fourth Super Bowl title or will the 49ers land their sixth Lombardi?
Here are four burning questions that will be answered this weekend….
Will Mahomes have to do it all on his own?
There have been times this season where it has felt like Patrick Mahomes has single-handedly dragged the Kansas City offense to where it needs to be. Passes were dropped, penalties were committed and if the Chiefs did not have the sport’s best player under centre, their season could have been over by Thanksgiving.
But as we all know, Mahomes is something special. That said, a team cannot win a championship on the back of one player. Thankfully for the Chiefs, Mahomes’ supporting cast have woken from their slumber in recent weeks. For a while, it looked like age was catching up with Travis Kelce, but his performances in the playoffs have put a stop to that chatter. Rookie wideout Rashee Rice has emerged as a genuine playmaker and Isiah Pacheco’s powerful running has helped this offence find an identity that isn’t just ‘let Mahomes cook’.
The onus is not solely on Mahomes now and that’s bad news for the 49ers.
Will Brock Purdy settle the argument?
The Brock Purdy debate has become somewhat tiresome in recent weeks. The phrase ‘game manager’ has been chucked about like there’s something wrong with effectively leading the 49ers to one of the NFL’s best offensive seasons in years.
During the playoffs Purdy has been clutch when it has mattered, coming up with big passing plays, crucial scrambles and above all a calming presence in the comeback wins over Green Bay and Detroit. He hasn’t let any mistakes get the better of him and is systematically proving the doubters wrong the further the 49ers get into the postseason. A win on Sunday should put this debate to an end.
Can Spagunolo do it again?
Steve Spagunolo’s defense has been lights-out over the past month and they will have to be at their best again to slow down the explosive 49ers offense. The Chiefs have crushed the dreams of some of the game’s best quarterbacks in their playoff run to Vegas, but they’ve not faced a team like the 49ers yet.
Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle - the four Horsemen of the Purdocalypse if you like - can hurt you in so many ways, whether that’s explosive running, extending the field, powerful running after contact or as a release value when Purdy is feeling any pressure.
Spagunolo will likely mix up his sets and formations to keep Purdy and company on their toes, but he will know that if the offense can find a rhythm and take an early lead, they will be hard to stop.
Will Kyle Shanahan finally stick the landing?
Few would argue that Kyle Shanahan is one of the great coaching minds of his generation. His complex offensive scheming has been the envy of the NFL, often copied, and rarely matched. Under his watch, the 49ers went from a 2-14 dump fire to four NFC Championship games in five seasons, with two Super Bowl appearances to boot.
In fact, you could say he’s done everything but win the big game. His first Super Bowl appearance was as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator for their crushing Super Bowl LI defeat to the New England Patriots where a third-quarter 28-3 lead was wiped out by a locked-in Tom Brady as the Pats won in overtime.
Shanahan was appointed as the Niners head coach a day later and he has built a special team in San Francisco. But Super Bowl LIV had a depressingly familiar ring to it, as his side threw away a ten-point fourth-quarter lead and the Chiefs were world champions.
Now, Shanahan has another chance to shed this ‘always the bridesmaid’ tag and if he is able to out-do Mahomes and Reid, his place in NFL history will be assured.
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