Now that the 49ers and Chiefs are all set to play in Super Bowl 54, get ready for two weeks of hot takes and conveniently inaccurate storylines leading up to the NFL championship game in Miami on Feb. 2.
Not long after San Francisco and Kansas City won their respective conference championships with relative ease on Sunday night some of those narratives unfortunately started to already rear their ugly heads. Let's go ahead and bust those myths now, shall we?
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Myth 1: "It's the 49ers' elite defense vs. the Chiefs' explosive offense"
This is totally ignoring the fact San Francisco actually is the better overall offensive team in Super Bowl 54. Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers ranked No. 4 in total offense (yardage), averaging 381.1 yards per game during the regular season. They were No. 2 in scoring offense, averaging 29.9 points per game. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were No. 6 in total offense and No. 7 in scoring offense, so yes, behind the 49ers in both categories.
The Chiefs did score 86 points in two playoff games and the 49ers scored only 64, but the Chiefs had to dig out of double-digit holes in both games while the 49ers faced little resistance and could go run heavy to chew away at the clock in the second half. The 49ers are a lot more two-dimensional — No. 2 in rushing and No. 13 in passing — while the Chiefs were No. 23 in rushing and No. 5 in passing.
OK, it is true the 49ers had the No. 3 total defense, in contrast to the Chiefs ranking No. 17 there. But the Chiefs actually had the slightly better scoring defense, No. 7 (19.3 points allowed per game) to the 49ers ranking No. 8 (19.4 points allowed per game).
The 49ers are very good defensively, but this isn't close to the '85 Bears, '00 Ravens or '02 Buccaneers. They can struggle at times against the run (they finished No. 17 in the regular season) and they can have a few coverage issues surface against opponents deep in passing weapons, such as the Chiefs.
San Francisco finished No. 1 against the pass, but Kansas City wasn't far behind at No 8, improving vastly from No. 31 a season ago. The Chiefs still aren't getting enough credit for their improved defense while switching to a base 4-3 under Steve Spagnuolo. Starting up front with Pro Bowl defensive linemen Chris Jones and Frank Clark through cornerback Bashaud Breeland and safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Chiefs boast their share of disruptors. Their much-maligned run defense rebounded in rematches against the Texans and the Titans and the coverage and pressure hasn't let them down much.
So stop comparing Super Bowl 54 to classic offense vs. defense matchups of Super Bowls past, because this isn't one of those. The 49ers and Chiefs each did plenty well on both sides of the ball to get to Super Bowl 54.
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Myth 2: "It's the 49ers' dominant running game vs. the Chiefs' dangerous passing game"
Here we go again. As we alluded to before, the 49ers had a prolific running game, finishing second only behind the Ravens' record-setting attack with Lamar Jackson. They averaged 144.1 yards per game and 4.6 yards per attempt during the regular season.
The 49ers followed up rushing for 186 yards against the Vikings in the divisional playoffs by pounding out a ridiculous 285 yards on the Packers. Garoppolo completed only 11 passes against the Vikings before attempting only eight against the Packers. But Garoppolo passed for 3,978 passing yards and averaged 30 attempts per game during the regular season while throwing 27 TDs and rating 102.0 at 8.4 yards per attempt.
The 49ers aren't dependent on some run-heavy, ball-control approach like Giants vs. Bills in Super Bowl 25 to keep Mahomes off the field to win. They are comfortable and capable of getting Garoppolo in a back-and-forth high-scoring affair, given he's delivered in big games (Seahawks, Packers, Saints) doing just that.
The Chiefs averaged only 98.1 yards rushing per game at 4.2 yards per attempt during the regular season. But they out-rushed the Texans (118-94) and Derrick Henry's Titans (112-85). Mahomes was responsible for 106 of those yards (exactly 53 in each game) to lead the team in both games, but his sudden big-time scrambling can't be ignored as a real factor in Super Bowl 54. Damien Williams has finished drives rushing with three of his four playoff TDs, while also making key plays catching passes out of the backfield.
The 49ers did give up 4.5 yards per carry and it's also important to note that only the Bengals and Browns allowed more rushing yards on average per game to QBs. Jackson, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray all caused issues when they all took off running or extended plays.
San Francisco might lean toward running more and be more effective doing so, but Kansas City is capable of doing more damage on the ground than it might seem on the surface of this lazy narrative.
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Myth 3: "It's the NFL's best team vs. the NFL's best player"
What does this even mean? That the 49ers are the more complete team while the Chiefs are more dependent on Mahomes to save them like the MVP QB he is? Then why are the Chiefs favored slightly on a neutral field at Hard Rock Stadium if they're an army of one?
For as much magic Mahomes creates with the football in his hands, he can't take over a championship round like a pitching ace, hot-shooting guard or lights-out goalie. Mahomes can go full LeBron or Kawhi against the 49ers, but he still can't win the Super Bowl 54 without a ton of support — because, you know, he can't play defense.
The Chiefs are playing in Super Bowl 54 because they've got plenty of top talent, starting right around the QB with wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce and a strong offensive line, all in a terrific system under Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy. Williams, Sammy Watkins and rookie Mecole Hardman are some pretty skilled complementary big playmakers. That's before getting to Jones, Clark, Breeland, Mathieu and the defensive crew, and a superb special teams.
The 49ers are loaded, too, in all three phases, but they have some special individual playmakers who can take over games in stretches, too — running back Raheem Mostert simply took his turn against the Packers. In the past, it's been Garoppolo or tight end George Kittle or rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel or rookie defensive end Nick Bosa .... you get it.
This isn't Mahomes vs. the 49ers. This is the Chiefs vs. the 49ers. Mahomes and Garoppolo can both shine individually and one of them will still lose because quarterback wins are not a real stat.
The Chiefs aren't a superstar, a few stars and mostly scrubs. Likewise, the 49ers aren't just a solid all-around without the flair from spectacular standouts.
Trying to define the roles of the 49ers and Chiefs on the either side and forcing them into specific identities takes away from the feeling that Super Bowl 54 is one of the most evenly matched, hard-to-pick and potential greatest Super Bowls to ever be played — and that's no myth.
