Super Bowl Countdown: 3 Storylines to watch

With just a couple days until the Super Bowl, here’s three storylines to watch in the “Big Game”.

1. San Francisco’s run game: Their powerful run game has been the center point of attack for the 49ers throughout this season, and no more than against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. On their way to a super bowl clinching win, they rushed for 160 yards, and three touchdowns in the first half alone, with quarterback Jimmy Garropolo attempting just eight passes. Thanks to their offensive line paving the way, and a trio of running backs, they are second in rushing yards per game this season, just behind the Ravens, with an average of 152 yards on the ground per game. Facing off against such a potent run game, the Chiefs haven’t been especially good with stopping it on the ground, ranking 25th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game. This sets up an obvious matchup to watch, as San Francisco’s run game could be the difference, or the lack of it, for that matter. It’s important to note that 49ers starting running back, Tevin Coleman, who also played in a super bowl with the Falcons, dislocated his shoulder, and was limited in practice even up until Thursday. Whether he plays or not is in question.

2.Kyle Shanahan’s redemption- Now the head coach in San Francisco since 2017, he’s put together a great group of players and kept them in the hunt nearly every season to contend for the NFC West tite, not an easy task in a division that also includes the Seahawks and Rams. However, he finally accomplished his goal and is back at the super bowl, just 663 miles and one state away from where his dreams of being on a super bowl-winning team were crushed just three years ago. As the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, he was a big part of the early-game success Matt Ryan and the offense had against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI (51). But that’s not the end of the story. Thanks to some poor play from the Atlanta defense and the fact that his offense was shutout in the second half, the Patriots came back to snatch the victory away, winning in overtime, where Shanahan’s offense again did not score. Now in Miami, he’ll have a chance for redemption, and a chance to be on his first ever super bowl-winning team, in his first super bowl as a head coach.

3. Reid's quest for a title after 21 years as a NFL head coach- For over two decades, Andy Reid has been an NFL head coach, assembling a 207-128 record, leading his teams to first place in their division on 10 occasions, and making the playoffs 15 times. The one thing he hasn’t been able to add to his resume? You probably guessed it. A super bowl title. In fact, he’s only ever been to one super bowl as a head coach, in 2004 when his Philadelphia Eagles fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. But with Patrick Mahomes leading a terrific offense that is ranked third in the league in total yards per game, that dream could become a reality by Sunday night. His nationally-recognized “air-raid” offense that prioritizes passing could quickly wear out the 49ers secondary, something the Chiefs did all season, leading to easy downfield targets multiple times throughout a game, especially in the second half, when the opposing defense is tired from chasing speedy receivers running quick, deep routes all game. Like Shanahan, Reid is hoping that his first super bowl as the Chiefs HC will result in his first ever super bowl win.

My pick: This will be a shootout between two offensive-minded teams, so the team that can limit their turnovers and be effective running the football will be the team that comes away with the victory. It’ll be close, but after seeing what the 49ers were able to do to a very good Packers defense in the NFC championship, I’m going with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, winning 34-26 over the Chiefs.