Super Bowl LVIII Matchup is Set

Well folks, we are witnessing yet another season where the Chiefs fly under the radar, only to create playoff magic and find their way to the Super Bowl. It becomes clear with each passing year that Patrick Mahomes has taken the mantle from Tom Brady. Plain and simple, the Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL dynasty of the 2020s. 

Despite being statistical underdogs—the grim reaper of football—Mahomes and Kansas City cranked up the heat when oddsmakers turned a cold shoulder to the squad in favor of the Baltimore Ravens. Sure, the boys from Charm City had the best record in the league, but history serves best when predicting this outcome. Ignore the regular season stats; ignore “the league is scripted” tinfoil madhatters. 

Taylor Swift’s boyfriend/Jason Kelce’s younger brother was the star of this game, offensively. An opening drive touchdown paired with 11 catches and 116 yards? Yeah… that’ll do. Travis continues to step up to make big time plays at big time moments in big time games. It’s time to say it: he is the greatest tight end of all time. Mahomes did not have to pop off yesterday. All he had to do was be himself, rely on his weapons and his stout defense, and they’d march on. He was, he did, and they are.

Baltimore, on the other hand, could not quit themselves when it came to making crucial errors. Three turnovers, including two in the end zone in the fourth quarter, decided their fate. Credit the KC defense. As much as Travis Kelce was the stud offensively for the Chiefs, the D did everything and then some to capture another AFC crown. Oh, and let’s not take for granted Kansas City possessing the ball for a whopping 15 minutes more than the Ravens. Controlling the pace, the tempo, and the ball is a recipe for success when you understand the opponent is every bit as great as you are.

On the NFC side, Detroit appeared poised to make history. Being the only team in the conference to never make a Super Bowl, America has adopted the Lions as our darling. And surely a 24-7 lead at half would hold up, right? RIGHT?? 

Of course not. This is Detroit. On the precipice of greatness they once again fell apart. It’s fitting for this city, and it truly breaks my heart having grown up a little over two hours from downtown. The Lions’ coaching staff gambled time and time again when they didn’t need to and it came back to bankrupt their Super Bowl hopes. We know that Head Coach Dan Campbell is aggressive on the offensive end, but elite coaches understand when to harness that aggression. Clearly, at this point at least, he does not and he will not win at the top level until he learns.

Kudos to San Francisco for taking advantage when the chips were down. A young Brock Purdy engineered a critical drive late in the 3rd quarter to put the 49ers back in business and from there, it was over. Superstar Christian McCaffrey and Running Back Elijah Mitchell then tacked on two touchdowns to secure a Super Bowl LIV rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Each team will now have two weeks to prepare for the highly anticipated rematch from four seasons ago with the 49ers opening as a slight, 2.5 point favorite. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are defending Super Bowl champions who also defeated the 49ers, 31-20, in SB LIV.

Super Bowl LVIII is set to kick at 5:30 P.M. CST on Sunday, February 11th at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.