With five Super Bowl wins under their belt, the San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NFL, with only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers having won more Vince Lombardi Trophies.
But it’s been 29 years since they last triumphed in the big game and with seven trips to the NFC Championship game in the last 13 years and nothing to show for it, they are developing something of a modern-day ‘always the bridesmaid’ reputation.
So how do they change this narrative and gain revenge for their Super Bowl LIV defeat by the Chiefs? Here’s a look at the 49ers' keys to victory.
Contain Mahomes
We’ll start with the most obvious one and that’s putting the brakes on the sport’s most dangerous, most creative and simply best player. There are plenty of ways that Patrick Mahomes can beat you, but top of the 49ers' to do list will be to contain him.
Where Mahomes really flourishes is when he extends the play and uses his mobility and improvisational skills to make things happen outside of the pocket. If the 49ers can keep Mahomes in the pocket, he will find it harder to do the kind of Mahomesy things that he has done this season, which has made up for shortcomings in the rest of the Chiefs' offense.
Nick Bosa will be key here and after he claimed two sacks in the win over Detroit, the hope is that he is peaking at the right time. The 49ers defense has had its issues this season, but their use of switching their pass rush into contain mode during the Week 13 win over the Eagles in which they stopped Jalen Hurts is an excellent blueprint to follow in Vegas.
Protect Brock Purdy
For all of Mahomes’ heroics this season, the Chiefs would not be in the Super Bowl were it not for Steve Spagnuolo’s brilliant scheming on defense. Their playoff run has seen them shut down Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson this year, so how do the Niners make sure their second-year QB isn’t added to that list?
Purdy has more weapons to call upon than any of the Chiefs' vanquished foes and that will help. If the Niners are able to consistently move the ball on first and second down it will ensure they do not need to go chasing big plays on third down - which is when Spagnuolo has tended to dial up his best work. Should Purdy keep the chains moving and feeding the many mouths on his team, it will increase their chances of being able to bog down the Chiefs, control the clock and tip the balance in their favour.
Be flexible
If Kyle Shanahan is to finally land his first Super Bowl ring, he will have to out-think Andy Reid, which is no mean feat. Much will be made pre-match of Reid having a fortnight to scheme and strategise ahead of this weekend’s game, but what could well decide this one is the in-game adjustments.
Reid is a pro at making tweaks as soon as they need to be made, and while the Niners made the necessary half-time changes in their previous two playoff wins to get them over the line in the second half, Shanahan may not be able to wait until the half-time break to make changes this time out.
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