Listen HereBy: Collin Frazier
@Collin_53
It’s that time of the year; The Big Game. The game that your favorite team will most likely not be in but you will still tune in, eat delicious food, watch very hit-or-miss commercials, and watch Jennifer Lopez and Shakira perform during halftime. This year, the 14-4 Kansas City Chiefs will take on the 15-3 San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida. Both teams will take on their toughest opponents yet, as the two teams have shown they are skilled in opposite sides of the ball.
When you think about The Super Bowl, the commercials are just as big as the game for some and one UF student falls in line with that idea.
“I don’t watch the Super Bowl for the game, I watch it for the commercials. Honestly, the NFL does not appeal to me,” said UF Student, Chayton Newman. “I prefer college football to professional because I think it’s more entertaining.”
In the case of the Chiefs, it’s all about the offense. Led by Patrick Mahomes in his third year, the Chiefs will be looking for his continual deep ball. In the regular season, Mahomes threw for 4,031 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only threw 5 interceptions. Fortunately for Mahomes, he has many different receivers that have accounted for his stats. His top three receivers have all accounted for over 500 yards passing in the regular season, with TE Travis Kelce accounting for 1229 yards, WR Sammy Watkins 673 yards, and WR Tyreek Hill with 860 yards. All three have combined for 15 touchdowns in the regular season alone. The one flaw with the dominant offense comes on the run-game. The Chiefs top two running backs, LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams have both run for under 500 yards apiece. With this in mind, do not be surprised if the Chiefs rely on Mahomes’s arm this Sunday.
Logan Speyer, believes with the way that Mahomes has looked in the last two games, he like the Chiefs chances on Sunday.
“I like the Chiefs to win the game. Mahomes has been unstoppable for them right now,” said Speyer. “And their defense is good too, but their offense’s ability to score so many points will be a huge factor.”
As for the 49ers, their defense shines, especially in the back half of downs. Of the 192 attempts opponents had to convert from third down to a new set of downs, the other teams had converted 64 times, less than 30%. And of the 25 times, opponents tried to convert on fourth down, they were only successful 8 times. If Kansas City cannot convert a new set of downs by 2nd down, they may have some trouble getting into scoring position. The 49ers defense also poses a threat due to their passing defense. Of the 16 games played in the regular season, opponents had only thrown for 2,707 yards, a little over half of Mahomes total yards in the regular season. With these two factors, Mahomes will need to have a sharp eye for Kelce, Hill, and Watkins to drive the field.
Senior, Cory Berlekamp, just wants a good game this year after how bad of a game last year was. Ultimately, he went with 49ers.
“I know that this might sound weird, but I am ready for an actual Super Bowl this year. Out of the gate, my thoughts are whoever wants it the most. Last year’s postseason felt like a joke with the Saints and Chiefs both getting snubbed by officials,” said Berlekamp. “The Chiefs can see it and the 49ers have proved that they can get it. I would like to see a good old-fashioned shootout between Mahomes and Garoppolo but that depends on holding the 49’s run game in check. Overall, I am going with the 49ers.”
The game will kick off on Sunday, Feb.2 at 6:30 on NBC.
MY PICK: I like the 49ers winning this game, 35-21
For all things Findlay, pick up The Pulse on newsstands, read it on our site, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
