NFL Picks, Super Bowl



It’s been a couple weeks since we had a meaningful game. Yes, I know the Pro Bowl was last weekend. No, it’s not what I’d consider meaningful. So far this playoffs, I’ve gone 8–2, so I’m hoping to keep the hot streak going with the Super Bowl.

In the Championship Game Round, I went with the Chiefs and the 49ers. I thought the Chiefs would be too much for the Titans, and after a slow start that proved to be true. I also thought the 49ers were the better team in the matchup with Green Bay, and that one proved to be a little less competitive. It was really over at the half, as the 49ers cruised to the convincing win.

So now the two teams clash. AFC West versus NFC West in a winner take all battle in Miami. So who’s going to win? Let’s consider the odds.

San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs

About: The Championship Round was my first perfect round, and I wondered if that would be the case because I wasn’t confident in either pick. If that’s what it takes, then this week should be a cinch since I don’t feel confident in my pick, either. You could make a case for both these teams winning, and I think and hope this is going to be a good game. (Anything is better than last year, right?) As a lifelong Broncos fan, it’s also hard for me to separate picks from the fact I really can’t stand the idea of the Chiefs winning. But they could. Patrick Mahomes is great, and their offense can score with the best of them. But San Francisco has had a special season. I love Kyle Shanahan, and what he’s done to turn this team around. And the work Robert Saleh has done on defense is outstanding. It was the defensive dominance that took out the Vikings and smothered the Packers. And if they can get the same pressure and contain on the Chiefs, especially early, this could easily go the 49ers’ way. And that’s the other thing that strikes me — we’ve seen the Chiefs start slow and allow their opponent to build a lead in both playoff games. The Texans led 24–0 and the Titans led 10–0. The Chiefs came back, but could you really count on that with the 49ers? But there’s reasons to doubt the 49ers, too. We haven’t seen much from their passing game and Jimmy Garoppolo. They have George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Emanuel Sanders, so the weapons are there, but we haven’t seen them throw much in the post-season. They haven’t had to, but they might on Sunday. Another thing that scares me off San Francisco is their dominance in the NFC Championship Game. I remember in 2015, when the Broncos barely beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game while the Panthers dominated the NFC Title Game. The thought was the Panthers couldn’t be stopped — until they could. Could that happen to the 49ers, too?

I have spent nearly two weeks thinking about the game and debating myself internally, and I’ve arrived back where I was at the end of Sunday’s championship games. I believe in the 49ers, and I think they’ll win — or at least I want them to. So I’m going with my gut.

The Pick: 49ers 31, Chiefs 28

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