Why McAfee believes the 49ers and Chiefs are ready for a Super Bowl rematch originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have faced each other in two of the last five Super Bowls, and one expert believes you can expect a third matchup to close out the 2024 NFL season.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee confidently picked San Francisco and Kansas City to represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl LIX during a recent episode from “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I still think [the] Niners obviously [are] phenomenal. Niners are making it to the Super Bowl,” McAfee said. “In my head, I saw Fred Warner flying around, and [Nick] Bosa will return because he will not resist. You have Bosa, [Warner] It is [Talanoa Hufanga].
“Chiefs-49ers is so easy to pick, obviously because we’ve seen them do it. This NFC side, I think there’s a little bit of dancing.”
With the 49ers and Chiefs seen as heavy favorites to reach Super Bowl LIX In New Orleans, McAfee’s choice is no surprise.
After earning 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, Bosa got off to a slow start due to missing a sizable portion of San Francisco’s training camp and offseason program while negotiating a lucrative contract extension.
Now that Bosa has been signed, the 49ers don’t have to worry about any contract-related absences for their defensive star, although similar issues could arise this year with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk as the All-Pro guard awaits a new agreement.
Despite falling into a painful loss of overtime in Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco still boasts one of the best NFL lineupswhile Kansas City has arguably the sport’s most valuable player in quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
With Brock Purdy Having had a full offseason as the starting quarterback for the first time in his NFL career, it’s reasonable to expect the 24-year-old to develop his strong 2023 campaign this earned him significant consideration in the MVP race for most of the season.
After falling short Super Bowl LIV and LVIII against Kansas City, perhaps the third time will be the charm for San Francisco if McAfee’s prediction comes true, with the 49ers still seeking the Vince Lombardi Trophy that has eluded the franchise for nearly three decades.
