Some Final Super Bowl LVIII Thoughts
Getting you through the final hours of buildup as we edge closer to the biggest party ever in Las Vegas...
The biggest game in America is now just hours away.
Super Bowl LVIII is here, and it has been a long day watching nothing but nonstop coverage and buildup from Vegas as we wait for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs to do battle for the Lombardi Trophy.
If you need a break from the TV, or simply require a distraction as you make the final preparations for your Super Bowl party, feel free to check out some of our other content pertaining to the NFL’s marquee event:
We’ve still got a little ways to go before kickoff arrives - the NFL really is the best when it comes to squeezing every last drop of juice from its most profitable orange - so I thought I’d pass the time by unloading some last-minute Super Bowl LVIII thoughts.
Let’s dive right in…
Firing Through Final SBLVIII Musings
🏈 All I want tonight, all I really, really, really want, is a thrilling, entertaining and fun game, one that goes right down to the wire and doesn’t end on a bad or questionable officiating call. That isn’t too much to ask, right?
🏈 I’ve been very vocal about the fact that I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan, and that’s true. However, I kinda hope the broadcast sticks to the game tonight. I’m all for seeing a flurry of shots of Swift at the start of the game because I get that rushing from a gig in Tokyo to the Super Bowl in Vegas is a big deal. However, after that, I think all football fans will just want to focus on the game itself and the plethora of storylines this electric matchup has to offer.
🏈 I’m sad that we won’t get the absolute treat of having Greg Olsen in the broadcast booth for tonight’s game - CBS is airing the Super Bowl this year - because, in my humble opinion at least, Olsen has emerged as one of the best analysts in football. And, if you ask me, he should still be Fox’s lead analyst next year while Tom Brady is eased in. Anyway, Olsen adds so much to any broadcast and he provides the little details that make all the difference. Plus, he has a knack of making the minutia of the game and the intricate X’s and O’s sound fun. If there was a service where I could pay $20 dollars to listen to an alternative broadcast tonight featuring Olsen, then I’d pay it three times over. Instead, we get to listen to Tony Romo, who has seriously taken his foot off the gas over the past couple of years. At this point, he’s become a distraction and his fall from grace could be completed with a bad performance in the broadcast booth tonight.
🏈 Want to know my biggest football mantra? Never, ever bet against Patrick Mahomes. And that holds true tonight. Especially tonight.
🏈 Four Super Bowl appearances in five years, and the chance to become just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at least three times. The other QB’s on that short and elite list? Tom Brady (seven), Terry Bradshaw (four), Joe Montana (four) and Troy Aikman (three). We already know that Mahomes is beyond special, but he could really enter some extreme rarified air tonight.
🏈 If Mahomes does win his third Super Bowl, all before he turns 29, then his place in the upper echelons of the true greats of the game will be the lead topic on every single sports talk show on Monday. And rightly so. That conversation deserves to happen anyway. But, should Mahomes come out on top on Sunday, then there will be an extra layer of significance to an already remarkable achievement. The guy didn’t have any weapons this year. Travis Kelce looked a shadow of himself for much of the regular season, and a mish-mash of random receivers made dropping passes look an absolute art form. The fact that Mahomes was still able to lead his team to the precipice of glory, and that he and Kelce elevated their games as soon as the postseason began, really does speak to the greatness of the best player in the entire sport.
🏈 Mahomes will also be the first QB to start four Super Bowls before the age of 30. Just incredible.
🏈 If the Chiefs win a third Super Bowl in five years tonight, then they deserve all the plaudits. To do what they’ve done in a salary cap sport is beyond insane. After all, the more successful you are, the bigger the bill you will have to pay. And, yet, this franchise continues to just win at the highest level despite losing some key pieces after each victory.
🏈 I don’t think Andy Reid is going anywhere. Why would he? He has the best QB in all of football, the best tight end in all of football and an absolute elite defense. I don’t believe those retirement rumors for a second. I think Reid will be the Head Coach of the Chiefs for a little longer yet.
🏈 We haven’t had a repeat Super Bowl champion since the 2003-04 Patriots. I think that will change tonight.
🏈 Here’s some important notes to keep in mind ahead of tonight: Mahomes is 3-0 in his career in the postseason vs. the 49ers. The Chiefs ranked second in the NFL this year in sacks with 57. Kansas City is 64-8 when leading at the half since 2018 (incl. playoffs). The Chiefs start fast - they’ve scored on the opening drive in each of their last 8 postseason games.
🏈 I’m expecting Chris Jones to have a game for the ages tonight, really cranking up his value in the process. The Chiefs need to do whatever it takes to re-sign this guy.
🏈 That Chiefs defense is SPECIAL. They allowed just 17.3 points per game during the regular season, and just 13.7 points per game in the postseason, which is insane. Steve Spagnuolo sucked as a Head Coach, but he’s carving out a Hall of Fame resume as a DC. He’s won three Super Bowl rings as Defensive Coordinator (one with the Giants, two with KC), and he’s probably the only man who can stop a 49ers offense that averaged 398.4 yards and 28.9 points per game in 2023 - both ranked second in the NFL.
🏈 I don’t understand why the 49ers are slight favorites. Yes, okay, they are loaded and were the best team in football during the regular season. But have we not learned our lesson yet? You simply just don’t bet against Mahomes and the Chiefs.
🏈 Tonight is one of those rare Super Bowls where I’m not rooting for a certain team to win. I wanted the Chiefs to win last year because, as a New York sports fan, I can’t touch Philly, and I rooted for the Rams a couple of years ago because I wanted Matthew Stafford to finally get a ring. However, I’m going to be okay with whoever wins tonight. I just want a fun game that goes right down to the wire with no bad officiating.
🏈 I mean, how cool would it be if Brock Purdy were to have the game of his life and finally lead the 49ers over the hump and to Super Bowl glory? Pretty damn cool if you ask me. The 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft will have a chance to write some pretty amazing history in Super Bowl LVIII, while silencing his many critics in the process. If Purdy goes out on Sunday, absolutely balls and makes a handful of big plays to help win the Lombardi for the 49ers, then the narrative around him will completely flip. However, I don’t think it is fair to whack the ‘game-manager’ label on Purdy anyway. I mean, a 17-4 record over 21 regular season games with a 68.7 percent completion rate, to go along with 5,654 yards, 44 touchdowns and just 15 picks is hardly being a game-manager. Purdy showed in the NFC Championship game against the Lions that he has the makeup and the skillset needed to make the big plays in the big moments, and I’m really intrigued to see how he handles the biggest game of his career by far tonight. But, please, let’s stop with the stupid and bullcrap game-manager talk. Enough already.
🏈 I always enjoy rooting for greatness, but it would be pretty cool to see the 49ers win. They’ve been a juggernaut for a while, reaching the playoffs four times and the NFC Championship twice over the past five years. They are absolutely loaded and it would be nice to see Kyle Shanahan finally get his hands on the big one. He’s suffered two heartbreaking losses in the Super Bowl already - one to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI as OC for the Falcons, and the other to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV - and I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves because of that. Shanahan, to me at least, is one of the smartest football minds in the game right now, and if he were to win on Sunday then he would join his dad, Mike Shanahan, as the only father-son tandem to each win Super Bowls as Head Coaches. Mike won two Lombardis with the Denver Broncos in 1998 and 1999.
🏈 Speaking of legacies, the 49ers have a couple of players you can’t help but root for tonight. The first being Christian McCaffrey, obviously. Already one of the best running backs to have ever done it, CMC would cement his greatness with a win in Super Bowl LVIII. The duel-threat running back is the only player in the NFL this season with 1,000+ rushing yards and 500+ receiving yards, while he’s among the league’s active leaders in all-purpose yards, with 10,728. Plus, if the 49ers win tonight, then CMC will join his dad, Ed, in winning a Super Bowl. McCaffrey senior won three Lombardis, one with the 49ers in 1994 and two with the Broncos under Mike Shanahan. While Kyle and Mike would become the first father-son duo to win a Super Bowl as Head Coaches, Christian and Ed would become the second father-son due to accomplish the achievement as players. Linebacker Steve DeOssie won one with the Giants in Super Bowl XXV, and his son, long snapper Zak DeOssie, emerged victorious in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.
🏈 It would also be cool to see Trent Williams win a ring tonight. One of the best left tackles to have ever played the game, Williams has earned Pro Bowl honors in 11 of his 13 seasons, in addition to being named a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons. Williams is a key piece on this 49ers team, and I’d love to see the beloved veteran win the big one after years of suffering and seeing his talents wasted in Washington. You’d also think if Williams can add a Super Bowl to his resume, then that would ensure he’s a lock to enter the Hall of Fame. These are the kind of stories that are so great to root for on days like this.
🏈 I’ll end with this; I was a little underwhelmed when it was announced that Usher would be the Super Bowl Half Time performer. However, I hit up Apple Music earlier today and I actually forgot how many hits he’s produced. Plus, I’m kind of expecting Usher to roll out some pretty big-time special guests, so I’m excited for it. He’s used to performing in Vegas, and I’m sure he’ll put on one hell of a show to match the enormity of the occasion.
Enjoy the big one, everyone!
I’ll be back on Monday with a Super Bowl LVIII breakdown.
