The time is finally here, the matchup for Super Bowl 2024 is officially set. The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, marking the first Super Bowl to take place in Sin City. 

The Kansas City Chiefs, led by reigning MVP and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, are looking to become the first team since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

This Super Bowl is a rematch of Super Bowl 2020, where the Kansas City Chiefs made a double-digit comeback in the fourth quarter to earn a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, marking the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 50 seasons.

Preview

This matchup is far different from the last one. The Chiefs no longer have all-pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill on their team, causing a load of errors and costly mistakes from their current young wide receivers. The 49ers no longer have Jimmy Garoppolo as quarterback. Instead, they have second-year quarterback Brock Purdy who has impressed this postseason, with back-to-back comeback victories over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Most importantly, the 49ers now have Christian Mccaffrey, the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year as he scored a league high 21 touchdowns. The teams may be the same, but the personnel will be different.

The Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) had a down season for their standards. After starting out with a league best 6-1 record, the Chiefs struggled offensively down the stretch with poor wide receiver play and a down season from Mahomes and Travis Kelce, finishing 5-5 in their final ten games. This postseason they turned it around. Mahomes and Kelce have been back to their usual ways which has led them to three straight playoff wins against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

The San Francisco 49ers (12-5) come into this game with the number one overall record in the NFC. The 49ers began with a perfect 5-0 record before dropping three straight to the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. The Niners ended the season strong finishing 7-2. After a first round bye, San Francisco made comebacks the last two weeks to earn victories against the Packers and Lions. The San Francisco 49ers are currently 1.5 point favorites in the Super Bowl, according to ESPN. 

The Kansas City Chiefs enter the game with five players who were selected to the Pro Bowl and the 49ers enter with nine players who were selected to the Pro Bowl. The Chiefs had 2 players selected as all-pros and the 49ers had 7 players selected as all-pros.

Much is at stake for both teams with a victory.

For San Francisco, a win would be the sixth in franchise history, entering a three-way tie with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins in NFL history. Brock Purdy would become the second youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl at 24 years, 1 month and 15 days old, only trailing Steeler great Ben Roethlisberger. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan would earn his first Super Bowl victory.

For Kansas City, a win would earn them their fourth ring in franchise history. Mahomes would become one of five quarterbacks to win three-plus championships, joining the likes of Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman. With another Super Bowl MVP award, Mahomes would tie Montana for the second most in league history, only trailing Brady who has won the award five times. Head Coach Andy Reid would win his third Super Bowl as head coach which would tie him for the third most winning coach in NFL history with Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs. He would only trail legendary coaches Chuck Noll and Bill Belichick.

Prediction

From Gatorade splashes to Usher’s halftime performances to plenty of cutaway shots of Taylor Swift, this Super Bowl is framed to have everything, but who will come out victorious?

My prediction is that the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl by a score of 24-21. I feel this is going to be a fairly defensive game. 

The Kansas City defense has been playing better than any unit in the recent weeks, shutting down the Dolphins and Ravens offense. I do not expect that to change in this game. The 49ers have fallen behind early the last two games and while they still were able to win, that is going to be more difficult against Mahomes. I expect the Chiefs to get off to a lead early and stay in control the rest of the way, as they have done throughout the playoffs. 

With all that being said, this Super Bowl aims to be one of the best in recent history and is a must watch for any and every sports fan nationwide.

Kickoff time for Super Bowl 2024 is 6:30 p.m., Sunday Feb. 11. The game will be aired on CBS and Nickelodeon and will also stream on FuboTV, Paramount+ and YouTube TV.