There are a handful of games every year that you definitely shouldn’t miss as a football fan. In the night from Sunday to Monday it’s that time again.
Die NFL has scheduled a game that guarantees excitement: The Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers is coming up.
Also interesting
Advertisement
Also interesting
Advertisement
These two teams fought a duel in the final last February that couldn’t be surpassed in terms of excitement. A perfect advertisement for everyone’s favorite sport. The Chiefs met an opponent in Las Vegas who made things really difficult for them. The team from San Francisco got off to a flying start on both offense and defense and gained a 10-point lead over the course of the game. But Chiefs playmaker Mahomes turned the game around and saved his team to win the title in overtime. Only the second time in the long history of the NFL that the final game could not be decided in regular time.
video-heading">Police film absurd fan scenes with thermal imaging cameras
Quelle: X: @billyderrick10, @emeversetv, @RyanFosterHQ, @Chris_Oven09.10.2024
The signs look similar for this Sunday too. The Chiefs are coming from the so-called bye week, so they had the last day off. This meant that they were not only able to recover from the various injuries, but also prepare more than usual for the upcoming opponent. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid has a truly impressive record in games after a break: 21 wins with only 4 losses is a fact that is guaranteed to give the 49ers an extra dose of respect. The fact that the Chiefs are undefeated so far shows what a giant the team from San Francisco is in store for.
But even giants have weak points! That’s the difference from the last meeting. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has rightly become the “poster boy” and figurehead of the entire league in recent years with his almost inhuman throws, is showing weaknesses and even suddenly making mistakes. Only six touchdowns and six interceptions are values that show that there currently seems to be a bit of sand in the gears of the Chiefs’ otherwise smooth-running attack.
“With a little help from my friends,” the Beatles once sang. And the title should serve as an anthem for Mahomes and his offense, as the Chiefs’ defense has largely carried this team from win to win and has grown into a true bulwark since last year.
Patrick Mahomes wants to work magic again
Photo: AP
After the 49ers’ good performance against the Seattle Seahawks last week, when the team suddenly looked like real title contenders again, Chris Jones and his men in the Chiefs defense will also be important in the upcoming matchup. 49ers playmaker Brock Purdy led the Seahawks to a whopping 255 yards and three touchdowns this Sunday. With perfectly placed balls, such as George Kittle’s touchdown, that were thrown into areas no larger than a DIN A4 sheet of paper, Purdy topped his class. His team is a force to be reckoned with again.
Of course, the Pacific Coast team is still missing the one and only Christian McCaffrey, who is still struggling with his Achilles tendon injury. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan managed to do what seemed almost impossible: He found ways with different players to compensate for the absence of his exceptional player.
Christian McCaffrey currently has to watch
Photo: AP
From substitute Jordan Mason to substitute’s substitute Isac Guerendo: The players who are otherwise banished to the sidelines to watch take advantage of their chance in the spotlight and sometimes impress with performances that one would not have expected. Like an Olympic skier, Mason ran the giant slalom against and around the Seahawks for an impressive 8.1 yards on average.
But for the 49ers ball carriers, the upcoming game will be anything but a walk. Kansas City’s defense has held opposing running backs to an average of just 3.1 yards in recent weeks. Chris Foerster, who is responsible for the running game as coach on San Francisco’s sidelines, should put in an extra night shift or two, because cracking this bulwark will be far from an easy task.
But without a functioning running game it will be difficult for Purdy and Co. Because only playing through the air would bring with it a one-dimensionality that would play more than into the hands of the Chiefs’ pass rush. The 49ers O-line put in a more than decent performance. They gave their young playmaker up to 3.2 seconds to complete a pass last week and didn’t allow a sack. This week, however, they have to deal with a completely different caliber of opponents. Chris Jones in the middle of the defensive line is a true force of nature who sometimes requires two players to stop him. Of course, this then clears paths for his fellow players.
Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, loves to use extra players to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Chiefs “blitz” more than any other team. On 34 percent of all moves! 1st place in the NFL.
So watch out Brock! They will come! Just where from – that is the question. Therefore, 49ers fans can be more than happy that the short pass forwards, George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, showed last week that they are not only in top shape, but are a bench that Purdy can always rely on in case of an emergency can build.
Read also
But in order for the Chiefs to miss their first defeat of the current season, not only the 49ers’ offense has to click, it will primarily be due to the 49ers’ defense. Here lies the key to a possible 49ers victory. Only with a Mahomes who gets little time in the pocket and is thrown out of his rhythm does San Francisco have a real chance.
Because even if Kansas City’s playmaker has had a rather average year statistically, he will always manage to make the impossible possible in the moments when it counts.
So it will be worth turning night into day and watching the rematch from the last Super Bowl. And who knows, maybe it will also be the dress rehearsal for the upcoming final in February.
Here you will find content from YouTube
In order to interact with or display content from YouTube and other social networks, we need your consent.
activate social networks
Of course, I’ll talk about this topic and all the other games and news surrounding the coming weekend with my colleague Mike Stiefelhagen in the latest episode of our interactive NFL podcast “The Pill for Men”. If that’s not enough for you, you can get even more in the YouTube format “Stoned Lack”.
