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If it feels like we’ve been here before, that’s because we have.
For the second year in a row, and fourth time in five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. His opponent is San Francisco 49erswhich happens to be the team the Chiefs beat to begin their era of dominance.
It gives new meaning to the term “run it.”
“They’re a great team. They’ve got a great coach, a great quarterback, a great defense,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I haven’t seen them much this year because we haven’t had a lot of cross tapes.
“But we already have a pretty good idea of what it will be like,” he added. “They’ve been doing it for a while, since we met them in 2019. It seems like they’ve been there every year since. We’ve tried really hard to get back to that moment. We came close several times, and this time we did it.”
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Few would have expected this midseason rematch, and not just because of the Super Bowl logo conspiracy theory. As formidable as the Chiefs looked in the playoffs, they looked just as vulnerable in the regular season.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had lost their mojo, and Kelce was reportedly “distracted” by his high-profile relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift. The receiving corps was a mistake waiting to happen. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense was fierce, but he also had his moments of inconsistency. (Cough, Green Bay Packers, cough.)
But when push came to shove, the Chiefs did what they’ve been doing for the past five years.
Kelce had 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown at Kansas City. 17-10 win Sunday’s AFC championship, coming up with big plays when the Chiefs needed them. As for those maligned receivers, Mahomes sealed the victory with a 32-yard pass to Márquez Valdés-Scantling.
And Spagnuolo’s defense was at its best, harassing presumptive MVP Lamar Jackson into his worst game of the season.
“It’s hard to do back-to-back seasons,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “It’s a difficult thing and you have to overcome it, you have to work on it mentally. It’s not an easy thing. I’m very happy for the boys and how they handled that. When it came time to put the Hit on, they lowered the hammer.
“And the best part is we’re not done yet. We have another game. You love to keep these seasons going as long as possible and we’re there.”
Faced with a familiar enemy. At least on paper.
While the Chiefs’ core is largely the same from 2019 (Mahomes, Kelce, the Spagnuolo defense), the 49ers are a much different team. Yes, Kyle Shanahan is still the coach. Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk continue to make life miserable for defensive coordinators.
But Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco’s quarterback five years ago, is gone. The same goes for Trey Lance. Brock Purdy, the current quarterback, is just two years away from being Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the NFL draft.
“I wasn’t here, obviously, in 2019, but you could tell the guys (who were)… it’s going to be special for them to play against these guys,” Purdy said.
But the biggest difference from the 2019 Niners so far is the addition of Christian McCaffrey, the NFC’s best offensive player. The Niners signed him midway through last season after five-plus seasons in Carolina, and he will test Kansas City’s defense in a way no other player has.
Ask the Detroit Lions. They had a 17-point lead on the Niners at halftime, but McCaffrey’s second score of the game tied the score near the end of the third quarter. McCaffrey finished with 90 yards on 20 carries and also had four receptions for 42 yards in the 34-31 victory.
“They’re obviously a great team, great defense,” McCaffrey said. “A big challenge on a big stage and we’re excited about it.”
And unlike 2019, the Niners have had to fight just to get to the Super Bowl. They had to bounce back last weekend against the Packers and then again against the Lions.
“When you have to come back and win two very difficult games, it creates a sense of urgency throughout the building,” Kittle said. “It’s like adding fuel to the fire… like, ‘Hey guys, we almost ran out of this on two different occasions. Let’s try not to do that again.'”
According to Tony Holzman-Escareno, senior researcher at the NFL, this will be the fourth Super Bowl rematch between coaches. The others were Chuck Noll and Tom Landry; Jimmy Johnson and Marv Levy; and Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick. If you know your NFL history, you’ll know where this statistic is headed.
The coach who won the first game also won the second.
But as the saying goes, that’s why they play. Maybe the Chiefs will win again, cementing their status as a dynasty. Maybe the Niners will get their revenge and prove they are the team everyone thought they were all season long.
What is certain is that this rematch, this meeting between the best team in the regular season and the best in the playoffs will probably be, as Shanahan said, a great game.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armor on social media @nrarmour.
