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In Super Bowl LIV, a long dry spell ends on Sunday (0.30 a.m. on Monday MEZ / live Puls 4 and DAZN). The San Francisco 49ers have not won the most important trophy in American football in 25 years, the Kansas City Chiefs in 50 – and yet both are among the most traditional clubs in the National Football League (NFL).
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The chiefs around their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are considered an easy favorite before the 54th edition of the showdown. Perhaps the strongest offensive in the league is countered by the 49ers with the strongest defense. It will be a duel of opposites that fans can expect at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. This also applies to the coaches: with Kansas City veteran Andy Reid (61), with San Francisco 40-year-old Kyle Shanahan.
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The son of coach legend Mike Shanahan has successfully reversed the trend. In his first two seasons as head coach, San Francisco had won a total of ten games. In 2019, the traditional team regained the throne at the National Football Conference (NFC). “The most important thing was to bring people together who feel committed to football,” said Shanahan.
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With them, the 49ers are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. With their sixth triumph they would catch up with the record winners Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. In the first two titles of the Californians in 1982 and 1985, a native Austrian was their kicker. Emigrant son Raimund “Ray” Wersching from Mondsee still holds a shared Super Bowl record with four field goals in one game (1982).
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The chiefs’ great triumphs lie even further back. After a defeat in the first edition in 1967, the franchise won its only Super Bowl in 1970. Since then, the chiefs have not been in the final. The big hit is to succeed with Mahomes. His main passport receivers are Tight End Travis Kelce and Receiver Tyreek Hill. The “cheetah”, Hill’s nickname, is the fastest player in the league.
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“I have a great team,” said Coach Reid. The man with the distinctive mustache has long been a major player in the industry. With 221 wins (including play-offs), the 61-year-old is in sixth place on the NFL leaderboard. No other head coach has won more games and won no Super Bowl. In 1997 Reid triumphed as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers. As chief, he was denied honor with the Philadelphia Eagles against New England in 2005.
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Since signing Reid in 2013, Kansas City has had a positive win record every season and most recently reached the knockout phase five times in a row. In the two play-off games this season against Houston (51:31) and Tennessee (35:24), the Chiefs had to run double digits. “We may have to start a little faster,” said Reid before the showdown with San Francisco.
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This is especially true because the 49ers’ running game is feared. Running back Raheem Mostert scored four touchdowns in the conference final against Green Bay (37:20). He celebrates this with a cheer modeled on surfing. For the time being, however, the passionate surfer may no longer pursue his passion – one of the conditions of his new contract, explained the 27-year-old.
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With 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers, a woman belongs to the coaching staff of a Super Bowl participant for the first time. San Francisco’s stars are mainly found in defense. Cornerback Richard Sherman won the championship title with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. In addition, rookie Nick Bosa is one of the most feared quarterback hunters in the league. It will also be up to him to stop Mahomes and the Chiefs.
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