The Super Bowl is just days away, and there’s been a whole lot of analysis and predictions on who is going to come down with the Lombardi Trophy, whether it be Patrick Mahomes for the third time in his young career or Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan getting their first rings.
While those will be the overarching themes on most people’s minds, there are intriguing games within the game that will turn the tide in either direction. Here are three matchups to keep an eye on within the game.
Chase Young vs. the Chiefs’ running game
The trade for Chase Young doesn’t look like it’s going to be a massive success for the 49ers up to this point, but they’ve been able to survive and advance to the Super Bowl despite not getting stalwart play from Young at the defensive end spot. Young has been brutal against the run during the playoffs, getting thrown around and allowing big run plays routinely in his area of the field.
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He faces one more tough test with the Chiefs’ running game, led by running back Isaiah Pacheco. This is not the most dominant run game in the league, but Pacheco has been situationally good for the Chiefs and is certainly good enough to exploit the level of play that Young has been delivering. Games between teams with as much talent as the Chiefs and 49ers have are won in the margins, and this is one of those games within the game that can swing things in the favor of the 49ers.
Travis Kelce has turned back the clock this postseason, returning to his completely dominant form as one of the greatest playoff performers in this era of football. Patrick Mahomes will lean on his playmaking and skill throughout the game on Sunday, making sure that they don’t have to involve the mistake-prone wide receivers too much.
49ers linebacker Fred Warner should be up to the challenge of defending Kelce, but rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown will play a big role in the 49ers’ passing defense as well….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-2024-three-intriguing-games-within-the-game-that-could-determine-the-champion-233717646.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-02-09 23:37:17
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