By Adanya Day
With the conclusion of the AFC and NFC championship wrapping up this past Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers have their eyes set on the glory of the Lombardi Trophy. But with the Kansas City Chiefs hoping to secure a back to back Super Bowl all eyes will be on “Mr.Irrelevant”, Brock Purdy and the Mahomes/Reid dynasty.
Today on Feb.11 bets will be made and bonds broken in one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Let’s take a look at how each team got to this point and whose the fan favorite to win, after all what would the Super Bowl be without a preview.
On the NFC side of the NFL we have the San Francisco 49ers. With a 12-5 record with the 49ers they have a high chance of dethroning the Chiefs. The 49ers have a stacked team as well this year. Brock Purdy has 31 TDS totaling 4,280 yds thrown. In his 2nd year in the NFL, he is set to make his mark in the NFL. Behind him is 7th year running back Christian McCaffery. The running back has totaled 14 rushing touchdowns this season with an astounding 1,459 rushing yards.
NFL Analyst Maurice Jones Drew ranks McCaffery as the number one running back in the entirety of the NFL. That’s just on the offensive side. On the defensive side of things FOX Sports ranks the 49ers third in both scoring defense and rushing defense. With these rankings the 49ers have a high chance of smothering Mahomes.
On the AFC side we have the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have assumed a 11-6 record which falls just behind the 49ers record. Patrick Mahomes in the eyes of many has the chances of usurping Tom Brady as the G.O.A.T. Compared to Brock Purdy, Mahomes falls short by 4 TDs this season only having 27 TDs totaling 4,183 yds.
With stats this close between the two starting quarterbacks it really is anybody’s game. Backing up his quarterback is tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce has 5 TDs totaling 984 yds. When you combine this duo they have a combined 46 touchdown connections. Kelce also holds the record for most catches in the first 10 seasons with 814 catches. However with these great stats between quarterback and tight end the Kansas City Chiefs rank below the 49ers in offensive.
According to Reuters the San Francisco 49ers are the fan favorite to win. This outcome is favored to win simply due to the fact that 67.8 million Americans have placed bets on the 49ers to win. With the Lombardi Trophy at risk as well as the pride of many Americans at risk it truly will be a game with all eyes on it. Kayley Stroud, a junior at Peace, is rooting for the 49ers alongside Joshua Fitch (sophomore). On the other side you have Baylee Barnes, a junior is going for the Chiefs. The matchup begins in just a few minutes. Let’s see who will come out on top!