The long-awaited Super Bowl matchup is now set for the 2023-2024 NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are officially headed to Super Bowl LVIII. The matchup will take off Sunday, Feb. 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After a long and competitive NFL regular season and playoffs, the Super Bowl will finally determine the best team in the entire league.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not had an easy road to the Super Bowl, with their first opponent being the offensive-heavy Miami Dolphins. Even with one of the best receiver quarterback duo on their team (Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa), the Chiefs’ defense was too much for them, holding them to a minimal seven-point total for the entire game. The final score of the game resulted in a 26-7 win for the Chiefs, setting up for their next match-up against the Buffalo Bills.
Despite the Bills’ slow start to the season, they still should never be counted out in the playoffs. The game was within a field goal, and the Bills kicker missed it to send it into OT, resulting in a loss. The final score was 27-24, with the Chiefs advancing again.
“It is a good feeling, Patrick Mahomes is a very good quarterback, and it’s nice to see him succeed in the playoffs as he usually does,” said Chiefs fan senior Brittney Chime. “I’m aware of Taylor Swift’s association with the team now because of Travis Kelce, but I don’t think she should have this much involvement as she does.”
The Chiefs’ final matchup in the Conference Championship was against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had the MVP favorite in Lamar Jackson, and an explosive defense, so getting past them would take a lot of work. The Chiefs’ defense once again defied the odds and held the Ravens to only 10 points, leaving them with a final score of 17-10, advancing them to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers clinched the NFC’s number one playoff seed, which led them to have a bye week, resulting in them only having to play two games until the Super Bowl. Their first opponent was the Green Bay Packers. The Niners were favored to win because of the lack of experience the Packers had with them being the youngest team in the league. The Packers kept up a fight, but still couldn’t handle the offensive juggernaut the 49ers have in Christian McCaffrey.
Their last game before the Super Bowl was against the Detroit Lions. The Lions seemed to figure out how to contain the 49ers, because of their 24-7 lead by halftime. But in the third quarter, the Niners turned on the jets. They scored a staggering 17 points in the quarter alone, and locked the Lions up, leading them to go scoreless in that quarter. The Niners scored another ten in the fourth quarter, which led them to a 34-31 win, and a successful comeback.
“I’m so happy. I’m ecstatic about them going to the Super Bowl,” said senior Kyle Thomas. “I’ve been a fan forever, since my dad grew up in Northern Cal, so seeing them get this far again is exciting.”
Super Bowl LVIII will be on Sunday, Feb. 11, and will be a rematch from 2020. In Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20, with Patrick Mahomes being the Super Bowl MVP. The 49ers enter this game seeking revenge, and with the hope of winning another Super Bowl, which would be their franchise’s sixth. The Chiefs enter this game with very high hopes of cementing themselves as one of the greatest franchises in NFL history, and also hope to increase Patrick Mahomes ranking, as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
