On Sunday 11th February, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will go head-to-head in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium to determine who will win the biggest prize in the NFL.
The Chiefs will be looking to go back-to-back Super Bowl winners and would be the first team to do so since Tom Brady's New England Patriots did in 2004 and 2005. This Super Bowl appearance marks the 4th time the Chiefs have reached the biggest game of them all in Andy Reid's tenure.
The 49ers, however, mark their first appearance at the Super Bowl since 2019 against the Chiefs. This appearance marks the second feature in the Kyle Shanahan era, despite narrowly missing out in 2 further due to defeats in NFC Championship Games.
Chiefs' 2023 Season
Record (inc play-offs): 14-6
Despite losing the opening game of the season to the Detroit Lions, the Chiefs built strong momentum to start the first half of the season with a 7-2 record heading into the bye week.
Key victories include a masterclass 41-10 win against the Chicago Bears, a Mahomes mastermind performance against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead and a 3 quarter shutdown display against the Miami Dolphins in a European adventure in Frankfurt.
Despite this strong start, the following 8 weeks we saw a Chiefs side struggle more than in previous years. A 4-4 record in the second half of the season put the Chiefs in new territory - a third seed position in the AFC and only one game of home advantage in the play-offs.
In the Wildcard Round of the play-offs, they hosted the Miami Dolphins and restricted them to a single TD. A convincing 26-7 win set them up with another famous matchup with the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
The Bills weren't giving up without a fight in extreme weather conditions influencing the encounter, though the Chiefs sealed the deal and got their revenge from their regular season defeat, to close the win out 27-24 after a late missed field goal.
With the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game for another year, a masterclass in defence was displayed which provided the Chiefs the chance to go to Vegas. The efforts from the defensive line stopped a red-hot Lamar Jackson and co, with the former being recognised as the MVP favourite, in a 17-10 win.
Chiefs' Player to Watch: Travis Kelce, TE
All eyes are on Travis Kelce heading into this match-up with the 49ers, with the tight-end making history in the AFC Championship Game against the Ravens. Not only did he equal the great 49ers wide-receiver Jerry Rice in receptions, he overtook him to have the most in play-off NFL history.
Whether his partner in Taylor Swift has drawn more interest due to her status and fame, the spotlight is on the Chiefs to make use of her presence to spur Kelce and the team on.
For the 2023 season, Kelce in regular season received 984 yards and hit 5 TD. The formidable partnership in play-offs with Mahomes elevated his stats to 262 yards in only 3 games, earning himself 3 TD's in the process.
49ers' 2023 Season
Record (inc play-offs): 14-5
The 49ers regular season started with a dominant 5 win game streak with each win involving 30+ points in what sent out a statement to the NFL, including a one-sided 42-10 win over their arch rivals Dallas Cowboys.
Despite this streak, the following three games before the bye week they lost 3 in a row. With 17 points sealed in each of those three games, the 49ers were unable to salvage anything.
The bye week, however, proved to be the best thing to happen to them as they went on a 6 game winning spree. A 42-19 win over Eagles, a win against the Seahawks on their turf gave the 49ers momentum to seal the NFC West and No.1 Seed of the NFC.
Despite these accolades, the 49ers overcame a 10-point deficit in their Divisional Round play-off match up with the Green Bay Packers and a 14-point deficit in the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.
49ers' Player to Watch: Christian McCaffrey, RB
After trading to the 49ers in the bye week in 2022, Christian McCaffrey's influence with the organisation should never be underestimated.
In the 2023 regular season McCaffrey topped the rushing yards chart with 1,459 yards and earned 14 TD's, with 7 receiving TD's and 564 yards to his name. To add to his tally further, in post-season, a further 4 rushing TD's helped the 49ers get to the biggest game of them all.
Where to Watch?
Game Date: Sunday, February 11th
Starting Time: at 6:30pm ET (11:30pm UK time)
How to watch: CBS (Sky Sports in UK) and VAVEL.com live.