What NFL experts are predicting for Super Bowl LIV
Even without the Patriots, it should be a good one to watch from afar.
COMMENTARY
So, this is how the other half lives?
In actuality, it’s not like the Patriots are in the Super Bowl every year, so this time around is more likened to the norm. After all, New England has only played in 11 of the 54, a mere 20 percent. And it’s only been nine of the 19 since the 2001 season, or 47 percent.
Since 2010, New England has only been to five of the nine Super Bowls (55 percent of them), and now that the Kansas City Chiefs have taken their rightful spot against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, the Patriots can only claim to have played in 80 percent of the games since 2015.
The last time the Patriots weren’t in the Super Bowl, Obama was president. Peyton Manning was still playing. The world had yet to hear of TikTok, and nobody hated Rian Johnson.
Toys “R” Us was still in business. A gallon of milk cost $3.19. People were walking around with iPhone 7’s, and Mookie Betts was still a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Even without the Patriots, it should be a good one to watch from afar, the precursor to a winter’s worth of Tom Brady speculation.
49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl predictions
: Six out of 10 like the Chiefs. Albert Breer picks 49ers 27, Chiefs 24. “Both rosters are loaded, and come into the Super Bowl rolling. So I’m leaning back on principle here. One team needs its quarterback to throw for 300 yards to win, the other doesn’t. And usually, in a playoff setting, the team that doesn’t need its QB to do that often wins. I see a total team win, and Garoppolo doing enough in critical situations to win the MVP, in part because there won’t be an overwhelmingly obvious candidate at the end of the game. (Quarterbacks always win by default in those situations.)”
ESPN staff: “ Of 78 experts who weighed in, the Chiefs were favored by 48 of them (61.5%), while the 49ers claimed 30 votes (38.5%). The most common predicted final score was 31-27, picked by eight of our experts. The lowest combined total was 37 (20-17). The highest combined score was 105 (54-51).”
Joe Montana: “You heard from me first. I GUARANTEE my team will win the SUPER BOWL!!”
You heard from me first. I GUARANTEE my team will win the SUPER BOWL!! pic.twitter.com/WAndTV2hBN
— Joseph Montana (@JoeMontana) January 20, 2020
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Chiefs 31, 49ers 27. “Add it all up, and it’s tough game to pick. That’s why the line is as close as it is. The teams are so even, but in the end I think it always comes down to quarterback play, and Mahomes is the elite player in this game.”
CBS Sports staff: Six out of eight pick Kansas City (-1).
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Chiefs 34, 49ers 31. “How can the 49ers stay in it? I think they’ll move the ball fairly effectively against a Chiefs run defense that was suspect in the regular season but has played well in the postseason. And I think Jimmy Garoppolo will be efficient, if not spectacular the way Mahomes will be. The 49ers’ offense will put points on the board.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Chiefs 30, 49ers 27. “The score I’ve picked represents a certain amount of wishful thinking. These teams seem to be so evenly matched that it’s possible, with a lucky (or unlucky) break or two early in the game, that things could get out of hand, with the Chiefs far better suited to come from behind than the 49ers, who could be cooked if they fall behind by 10 and who could see things snowball out of control. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get to that point. Here’s hoping that the game stays close and exciting and ultimately gives us an outcome that will provide a fitting end to the NFL’s 100th season.”
Barry Wilner, Associated Press: 49ers 30, Chiefs 27. “Look for the 49ers to get off quickly, something the Chiefs allowed both Houston and Tennessee to do in the playoffs. Kansas City will make a charge, perhaps several of them, but the Niners will have just enough of an edge on defense to earn their sixth Super Bowl crown, tying New England and Pittsburgh for the most.”
Tecmo Bowl simulation: Chiefs 31, 49ers 24.
Tadd Haislop, Sporting News: 49ers 31, Chiefs 27. “We like the 49ers to win their sixth Super Bowl, which would place them in a tie with the Patriots and Steelers for most all-time, not because “defense wins championships.” We like them over the Chiefs because defense wins championships, especially when complemented by superior offense and hampered by zero notable weaknesses.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 49ers 34, Chiefs 31. “Shanahan already experienced the disappointment with the Falcons in Super Bowl 51, seeing a 28-3 lead evaporate. That won’t happen again, as a valiant comeback led by Mahomes will fall short with Gould kicking the game-winner.”
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston: 49ers 27, Chiefs 21. “Good game. Fun game. Niners win. I think.”
NJ.com staff: All three pick the Chiefs. Joe Giglio predicts a final score of Chiefs 41, 49ers 38. “This one ends up as a classic, with the 49ers driving for a tying score with minutes to go. But unlike last year, Mahomes gets the ball and takes care of business in overtime.”
Bleacher Report staff: Two out of three pick the 49ers.
Five Thirty Eight: Chiefs with s 63 percent chance (-3.5).
NFL Network staff: Fourteen of 21 pick Kansas City. Gregg Rosenthal likes Chiefs 37, 49ers 34. “Bold prediction: This time, it’s Kyle Shanahan’s team that comes back from a 28-3 deficit … only to give up a game-winning touchdown drive to Mahomes in the end.”
It says here: Chiefs 38, 49ers 30. Remember when Alex Rodriguez tried to upstage the final outs of the 2007 World Series by announcing he was opting out of his deal with the Yankees? Tom Brady should pull that in the fourth quarter by announcing where he’s bought his latest house or whatever.
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