LAS VEGAS – Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were in the same position four years ago when the San Francisco 49ers last met in the Super Bowl.
The Niners built a 10-point lead and were down 31-20 with less than 10 minutes to play before things fell apart on both offense and defense.
The difference when the two teams meet in a rematch on Sunday is that this time the 49ers will have a quarterback capable of making the big play that could deny Mahomes a third Super Bowl title.
San Francisco’s defense held Mahomes to 10 points through the first 50 minutes in Super Bowl 54 and gave up three late TDs in the game loss. This year’s unit isn’t as strong as it was in 2019, but this will be the offense that carries the Niners to their first win on June 29.
Brock Purdy, the final pick in the 2022 draft, was named “Mr. From “relevant” to franchise quarterback, he took coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense to the next level in less than two years.
He led the NFL in passing rate (113) and yards per attempt (9.6), and his ability to throw deep and shuffle adds a new offensive wrinkle. Purdy has a much better group of players than the ones around Jimmy Garoppolo four years ago.
Running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in regular-season tackles (2,023) and touchdowns (21) and earned AP Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Brandon Aiyuk has been one of the most efficient receivers in the NFL this season, entering the game with 1,342 yards on 105 carries.
Deebo Samuel has become a much bigger dual threat as a running back and receiver than he was as a rookie in 2019, and George Kittle remains a staple in the passing and running game.
San Francisco became the sixth team to have four players rush for at least 1,000 yards that season.
All of that was missing four years ago, when the offense needed to keep the ball away from Mahomes and make a big play or two in the fourth quarter to win the game.
Instead, San Francisco picked up first downs on its first two drives of the fourth quarter, giving Mahomes the lead. Garoppolo missed Emmanuel Sanders for a potential big shot in the final minute and made a late layup to seal the loss.
After playing linebacker for most of his short career, Purdy has shown he can come from behind in the playoffs when the Niners need him. He ran the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of a divisional-round win over Green Bay and helped San Francisco rally from a 17-point deficit to beat Detroit in the NFC title game.
According to Pro Football Focus, he is a much better deep passer than Garoppolo, completing 62.3 percent of his deep throws, leading all passers this season.
All it takes is offense to beat Mahomes, and while the Niners have regressed defensively in recent weeks, their strengths match up well with Kansas City’s.
The San Francisco Chiefs plan to protect their powerhouse with their most successful running back, Aysia Pacheco.
The Niners are one of the best teams defending the middle of the field thanks to Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, so they should be able to at least limit Travis Kelce’s production.
Throw in one of the biggest mismatches of running backs Nick Bosa against Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith, and San Francisco will do just enough to win a close game.
