49ers Lose Super Bowl in Dramatic Overtime Fashion

Super Bowl LVIII - Since capturing their fifth Super Bowl title during the 1994 season which was the most in the NFL at that time, few teams have endured as many heartbreaking losses during the postseason as the San Francisco 49ers. And since being hired as Niners head coach in 2017, not many teams have suffered such devastating losses in the playoffs than Kyle Shanahan's San Francisco squad. After squandering a 10-point fourth quarter lead just four years earlier in Super Bowl 54 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the 49ers blew another 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the division rival Rams in the NFC title game to conclude their 2021 season, followed by a nightmarish end in the NFC Championship a season ago when San Francisco lost their quarterback on the first drive of the game against the Eagles. 2023 was supposed to be the year that the 49ers got it right and finally hoisted up that elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy. Instead, Super Bowl 58 is just the latest chapter of gut-wrenching defeat felt by the 49er Faithful. 

Before both teams met for the big game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, it seemed as if all of the odds were stacked against San Francisco both on and off the field, even despite them being 2-point favorites among oddsmakers. It all started with UNLV's outdoor training facility where the 49ers were appointed to practice despite being none too pleased with the field conditions. If the rainy weather wasn't enough cause for concern, the league's decision to slap sod on top of UNLV's artificial turf just a week earlier might've done the trick. Coupled with the rain, the sod-artificial turf combination resulted in a spongy loose field that team officials stressed could result in devastating injuries. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but all the meanwhile, the Chiefs were given the keys to practice at the new shiny indoor digs of the rival Las Vegas Raiders. Shanahan and the 49ers brought up their beef with the field to the league office during their walk thru leading up to the big game, but commissioner Roger Goodell basically told them to deal with it, calling the field conditions "adequate", even after the NFL Players Association also expressed their concern with the field not being up to league standard and responding, "adequate isn't good enough." The 49ers were given the ultimatum of sharing the Raiders facility with the Chiefs, but Kansas City rejected the idea which came as little to no surprise. Because why would they give up their edge if they aren't being forced to? No team would happily give up an advantage before the biggest game of the season.

Then came the fire alarms that were pulled at the 49ers' hotel in the middle of the night in the days leading up to the big game, which we all know was no accident, including Niners running back Christian McCaffrey who was none too pleased of being awoken in the wee hours of the night and said it was no coincidence. While the prank is one of the oldest tricks in the book, the fire alarms at the Chiefs' hotel seemed to be just fine just a stone's throw away, as both teams stayed outside of the city at nearby Lake Las Vegas. But once the game started, all of those excuses went out the window and a litany of other unfortunate events took place on the field for the 49ers, from costly mistakes to missed opportunities, but perhaps none greater than an injury that occurred on the sideline that resulted in one of San Francisco's best players on defense to have to leave the game in the first half. 

With Kansas City winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the 49er offense began to roll and were knocking on the doorstep of an opening-drive score until the unthinkable happened. After marching 48-yards on six plays, McCaffrey fumbled for only the third time all season, ingulfing San Francisco's drive and ending any chance of taking an early lead. Thankfully, the 49er defense prevented Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense from taking an early lead of their own, something teams had failed to do in eight straight tries as Kansas City had their streak of 8 straight postseason games with an opening-drive score come to an end. With the early turnover costing them on their first possession, back-to-back penalties on left-tackle Trent Williams doomed the 49ers on their second drive. Hoping the third time would be a charm, the San Francisco offense got on the board thanks to rookie kicker Jake Moody's 55-yard field goal which set a record for the longest made field goal in Super Bowl history, but not before the first scoreless opening quarter to a Super Bowl in 5 years since Patriots-Rams were knotted up at zeroes in 2019.  

Exchanging blows with the Chiefs on defense, Mahomes launched a 52-yard bomb down the field to his receiver Mecole Hardman who came down with the grab and put his team inside the red zone. Within striking distance, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was stripped of the ball for a fumble recovered by the defense. Dialing up a bit of trickery two possessions later, the 49ers dealt the first haymaker with a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to receiver Juaun Jennings who took his time to collect and gather before launching a pass across the field to McCaffrey who galloped ahead for a 21-yard touchdown. With San Francisco jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the Chiefs also began to march, but sputtered once they made it into the red zone and were forced to settle for a field goal to cut the deficit to 7 just before the half. While Shanahan's 49ers did not get off to the slow start that dug them an early hole in each of their previous two playoff games leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, they squandered opportunities early and often to take a more commanding lead. 

With the early blow felt by the McCaffrey fumble on the opening-drive, no blow in the first half would be worse than the loss of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who was injured on the sideline with what was later confirmed to be a torn Achillies. In what could be described as a complete freak accident, Greenlaw suffered the injury while running back onto the field after a San Francisco punt. It was at that moment that although the 49ers were leading by a score of 10-3, anything that could go wrong would. Shock and fear swept through the Niner defense as the medical cart came out onto the field, leaving fellow linebacker Fred Warner and teammate Nick Bosa in utter disbelief as the two were shown trying to console one another on the sideline after having just witnessed one of their leaders and best friend's being carted off. Unfortunately, a whole other half of football remained to be played, with or without one of the San Francisco defense's most integral pieces. 

After a strong showing on defense in the first half, the 49ers came out of halftime with another impressive start when rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown intercepted Mahomes to open the second half. Following a trio of punts, Kansas City was able to chip away at the deficit once more, this time on a 57-yard Harrison Butker field goal that set a new Super Bowl record, surpassing Moody's mark from 55-yards just a quarter earlier. After exchanging punts, San Francisco's Achilles heel on special-teams reared its ugly head once again. Reminiscent of the Kyle Williams blunder that plagued the Niners in the 2011 NFC Championship game against the New York Giants, San Francisco fumbled away a key punt return that kicked off the leg of rookie Darrell Luter Jr. who was back to block on the return and had no idea where the ball was. Return man Ray-Ray McCloud made an attempt to scoop up the ball but was unable to get a clean recovery as the Chiefs made out with possession. One play later, Mahomes would find receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling wide-open in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown. 

The turnover turned touchdown would be a tough pill to swallow for San Francisco especially because of the fits they had given Kansas City's offense up to that point, as the Chiefs' first nine possessions up to that point resulted in: punt, punt, fumble, punt, field goal, interception, punt, field goal, punt. Following the gift touchdown that gave Kansas City their first lead of the game at 13-10, Brock Purdy and company got going with their best offensive drive yet. Capping off a 14-play, 75-yard drive to open the fourth quarter, San Francisco regained the lead after Purdy connected with receiver Jauaun Jennings on a 10-yard touchdown. Unfortunately, Jake Moody's extra-point attempt would be blocked, keeping the Chiefs within a field goal as the Niners now led 16-13. Able to tie the game at 16-all with a field goal on Kansas City's next drive, the game that started off scoreless through the first quarter and turned into a punt frenzy, suddenly evolved into a back-and-forth chess match. 

The Niners would take another lead on another long field goal by kicker Jake Moody who split the uprights from beyond 50-yards for a second time and had hoped a stop on defense would seal the win. Instead, 1:57 remaining in regulation would prove to be too much for Mahomes and company as the Chiefs answered with a field goal of their own with just 3-seconds left, sending the game into only the second overtime game in Super Bowl history and first since Patriots & Falcons in 2017 which also featured Kyle Shanahan during his time as offensive coordinator with Atlanta. Coincidentally, the only other overtime game in the career of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy also took place in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium versus the Raiders on New Years Day 2023. It would also be the first playoff game to be played in overtime since the NFL adopted new playoff overtime rules in March of 2022. Winning the coin-toss, San Francisco elected to receive the ball, a decision sited by coach Shanahan that he wanted to possess the ball third in the event that both teams answered one another with a touchdown. Unfortunately for them, the game would not get that far. 

The 49ers appeared to be in the driver's seat on their overtime possession, going on a 17-play drive that tallied 76-yards and lasted over seven and a half minutes. Making it into the red zone, San Francisco's promising drive stalled at the Kansas City 9 yard line where McCaffrey was held to no gain on 2nd down and a key missed block on 3rd down by the Niners offensive-line allowed for a free rush from Chiefs defender Chris Jones who was able to disrupt the time of Purdy who appeared to have a Jennings wide-open on the right side with a clear path to the end zone. Settling for a field goal, 7:22 of game-clock stood between the 49ers and a sixth Lombardi Trophy. With their backs against the wall, the Chiefs began their overtime possession with a 4th and 1, but an 8-yard scamper by Mahomes kept the drive and the game alive for K.C. From that point on, you could feel the game slipping away for the 49ers as Mahomes converted on another big third down with his legs, this time rushing for 19-yards to pick up the first down. Three plays later with just 0:06 seconds remaining in overtime, Mahomes hit receiver Mecole Hardman from 3-yards out for the game-winning touchdown. 

At the end of the day, a lot of fingers have been pointed at coach Shanahan for electing to receive the ball entering overtime, but the truth of the matter is the offense failed to make it into the end zone and the defense failed to get a stop. Numerous Kansas City players also claim head coach Andy Reid had planned to go for a two-point conversion even if SF opened the OT period with a touchdown. While Reid becomes just the 5th head coach in NFL history with 3 Super Bowl titles under his belt, Shanahan and the 49ers are still left seeking their first. The 49ers had the Chiefs against the ropes multiple times late in both regulation and in overtime, but in the end, it was not meant to be. Looking ahead, the 49ers will hope to capture a third consecutive NFC Western Division title, but will have plenty of competition between both the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams who have been reloading on young talent and are looking to take advantage on what many believe is a closing window for the 49ers' core players. 

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Third Time a Charm - 49ers Back in Super Bowl following Epic Comeback over Lions

Playoffs - For the two teams meeting in the NFC Championship game on Sunday, no two clubs sit on completely opposite spectrums in terms of franchise success more than the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. While the 49ers own the most title game appearances in NFL history making their 19th appearance on Sunday, the Lions are the only NFC team yet to host or win a conference title game despite being one of the five oldest NFL franchises in all of football. And while it didn't look good for the 49er Faithful through the game's first two quarters, history once again repeated itself on Sunday and proved to be a thorn in the side of the Detroit Lions once more. During the NFL's regular season, quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers rarely found themselves trailing late in games and because of that, they did not have a single game-winning drive or fourth-quarter comeback under their belt all year. In the playoffs, however, they've had two in just as many games, pulling a rabbit out of their hat against both the Green Bay Packers and now the Detroit Lions. 

After erasing their first deficit of five or more points in the fourth quarter under head coach Kyle Shanahan a week ago against Green Bay, the 49ers did the unthinkable again by rallying from being down 17-points in the second half versus Detroit. The comeback would tie a 49ers franchise record for their largest playoff comeback, while also overcoming the largest halftime deficit in conference championship game history as teams were 0-21 all-time entering Sunday when trailing by 17+ at the half. With the Niners winning the coin-toss and electing to defer, it was the Lions offense that came out guns blazing to the tune of a 4-play, 75-yard drive that ended in the end zone following a 42-yard touchdown run by wide-receiver Jameson Williams. Looking to match Detroit's opening-drive score, the 49ers marched across midfield and into field goal range where rookie kicker Jake Moody missed wide-right on a 48-yard field goal attempt. Before you knew it, Detroit suddenly had a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter as many at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium looked stunned while their team's defense had absolutely no answer for the Lions' rushing attack. 

As soon as the first quarter came to an end, the San Francisco offense finally got rolling. 49ers running back sensation Christian McCaffrey took a short pass 28 yards and into the red zone where he would capitalize just two plays later with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. With the 49ers on the board and now trailing 14-7, their offensive woes in the first half were all but solved as their following possession ended in a third down interception when Purdy was pressured into throwing an errant pass into a sea of defenders. Several plays later, Detroit again found the end zone, this time by way of a 15-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs. They would not be done there, however, adding a Mike Badgley field goal to take a commanding 24-7 lead at the half. Racking up 148 yards rushing on 21 carries thru the first two quarters, the Lions torched the 49er defense for the most rushing yards allowed in the first half in the seven seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan. 

With world renowned San Francisco-based band Journey performing at halftime, the song "Don't stop believin'" was played and was clearly the motto the 49ers coaching staff went with inside the locker room before the team came out in the second half to the tune of 27 unanswered-points. Despite the early hole the team dug themselves in, coach Shanahan's guys never wavered and took things one drive at a time, chipping away on offense and getting the much-needed stops on defense that eluded them in the first half. After settling for a field goal on their first possession to open the second half, the 49ers scored back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game at 24-all. Taking advantage of a pair of costly mistakes by Detroit on a 4th down gamble by head coach Dan Campbell to go for it instead of settling for a very manageable field goal attempt and a Gibbs fumble on the Lions' first play following San Francisco's first touchdown of the second half, the Niners suddenly found themselves right back in the thick of things. 

Before they stole all the momentum, the 49ers got a little luck on a 51-yard pass that Purdy launched towards the end zone that bounced off the helmet of a Lions defender and into the air where a leaping Brandon Aiyuk came down with the unbelievable catch that he would later credit to a ladybug that paid him a visit during pregame warmups. Purdy would award the efforts of his receiver just three plays later with a 6-yard touchdown pass to pull the Niners within seven. Cashing in on the Lions fumble, Purdy helped get his team inside the red zone with a 21-yard run that sparked a big second half for the 49ers QB on the ground. Two plays later, it was McCaffrey again who plowed into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown following Moody's point-after. After forcing a Detroit punt, the Niners took their first lead of the night on a 33-yard field goal. 

With another turnover on downs by the Lions offense despite again being in field goal range and trailing by only 3-points, coach Dan Campbell's gambling ways came back to haunt them once more. Seeking the final blow on offense, Purdy and McCaffrey -- two of the league's top MVP candidates, led the way and orchestrated an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard rushing touchdown from backup running back Elijah Mitchell who was summoned to fill-in for McCaffrey who needed a breather following a big 25-yard run on the prior play. Purdy also came up big on the play before McCaffrey's big gain, using his legs to pick up another 21-yards and move the chains on a key 3rd down conversion that kept the drive alive.

Trailing by 10 with just over 3-minutes remaining, Detroit was in need of a quick score if they wanted to pull off a stunning comeback of their own. Aided by a big play on a 25-yard reception from Lions quarterback Jared Goff to receiver Josh Reynolds, Detroit marched their way to the 1-yard line before a big stop by the duo of San Francisco's Javon Kinlaw and Fred Warner which led to a 2-yard loss. But on 4th down from inside the 5, Goff connected on a pass in the back of the end zone to Jameson Williams, cutting the deficit to a field goal with 1-minute remaining. Lining up for an on-side kick, 49ers tight-end George Kittle scooped up the ball which allowed Purdy and the offense to milk the rest of the clock and seal the 34-31 victory for San Francisco. 

In what will go down as a classic game and live forever in 49ers lore, it was certainly a whirlwind of emotions for both sides and from players and fans alike. Before pulling off their epic comeback when trailing by 17-points, one Detroit Lions player went as far as waving goodbye to 49er fans sitting in attendance. That player would be none other than cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson who has had an ongoing beef with Deebo Samuel of the 49ers dating back to last season's NFC title game loss to Philadelphia, who even tried getting in a cheap-shot during Purdy's second quarter interception. Hopefully those same fans stuck around and returned the favor with the waving as it was Deebo and company who got the last laugh on Sunday. In the end, Detroit was left seeking their first road win in San Francisco since 1971 and their first ever Super Bowl appearance, as their road playoff losing streak has now reached an NFL record 11 straight. As for the 49ers, coach Shanahan is now 6-0 at home in his playoff career. 

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the win, while also adding another 48 yards rushing on 5 carries, giving him 315 combined yards which are the most ever by a 49ers QB in a conference title game victory. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished with 132 all purpose yards after 90 on the ground and another 42 receiving, as well as another pair of touchdowns to give him 25 on the season, breaking a tie with the great Jerry Rice for the most in team history in a single-season including playoffs. Deebo Samuel who was questionable to even play in Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, finished with a team-high 89-yards receiving on 8 receptions. 

Super Bowl Preview: After defeating the Lions to punch their ticket to the big game, the San Francisco 49ers logged their 38th playoff win in franchise history, breaking a tie with the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots for the most in NFL history. They will attempt to add one more win to that total in two weeks from now when they face off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas in what will be a rematch of Super Bowl 54 which took place in Miami just 4 years ago. With a laundry list of storylines, the QB matchup is always one of the biggest headlines and this year is no different. While Mahomes versus Purdy might not be the big sexy QB match-up pundits wanted, the meeting does pin a QB vying to become arguably the greatest of all-time against another QB who has already laid claim to being the greatest Mr. Irrelevant of all-time in only his second season in the league and first full season as a starter. Already the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a pass in the NFL, Brock Purdy will now become the first player with that title to appear in a Super Bowl. Despite being one of the leading MVP candidates and even being the frontrunner to win the award for a good portion of the season, Purdy doesn't seem to have much of a chance prevailing over Mahomes according to NFL analysts, even with Vegas oddsmakers saying otherwise. 

Other storylines feature the McCaffrey family as Niners running back Christian McCaffrey will be playing in his first career Super Bowl, hoping to become just the second father-son duo to win a Super Bowl title with the same franchise. Before he was a back-to-back Super Bowl champion and a go-to target for the John Elway-led Broncos that won a pair of titles under Kyle's father Mike Shanahan, Christian's father Ed McCaffrey won a Super Bowl as a wide-receiver with the 49ers in 1994, their most recent championship. Kyle Shanahan will also try to join his father Mike by winning his first Super Bowl as head coach. Another is 49ers left-tackle and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams who is heading to his first Super Bowl after 14 seasons in the NFL. 

The betting lines opened up with San Francisco touted as 2.5 point favorites, but that spread has since dropped to just 1-point in favor of the 49ers. With Mahomes on the other side and the Chiefs being the reigning Super Bowl champs, it's hard to bet against a team that has proven time and time again that they know how to flip the switch and get things done come playoff time. For San Francisco, the team can ill-afford another slow start like the ones they've had in each of the last two games against the Packers and Lions, especially against a Patrick Mahomes-led offense, which in spite of being less potent than they were in their previous Super Bowl meeting against the Niners, are still very dangerous as proven in their playoff journey this season. The key to success in slowing and stopping Mahomes lies in pressuring the QB and containing his favorite target Travis Kelce. With a lackluster receiving corps in comparison to years past, the future Hall of Fame tight-end is the one guy the San Francisco defense has to keep tabs on and cannot let beat them. The 49ers will also have a tough task against the Kansas City defense which is also much improved since the last time they met in the big game. 

After dispatching the No. 1-seeded Ravens on the road in Baltimore to win the AFC and eliminating the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, both on the road, Kansas City will be making their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five seasons under head coach Andy Reid. For head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, the team hopes to get their revenge after spoiling a 10-point fourth quarter lead against K.C. back in 2020, when the team was oh so close to winning their elusive sixth Super Bowl title.  

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More Injury Woes at QB Doom Niners' Super Bowl hopes

Playoffs - Entering Sunday's NFC Championship between the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles, many football fans were hoping to see similar fireworks to the 42-41 shootout that took place back in November of 2019 when both team's quarterbacks last faced one another at the collegiate level. Brock Purdy's Iowa State Cyclones nearly upset Jalen Hurts and the heavily-favored Oklahoma Sooners in a wild game that came down to the final play and featured 11 total touchdowns between the two QB's. Fast forward to Championship Sunday, those hopes would come to a screeching halt rather early as we were deprived of what could've been and were left with something that hardly resembled a playoff football game. 

What was expected to be a brawl between two heavyweights that rank at or near the top in almost every major offensive and defensive statistical category, quickly turned into a handicap match just one drive in for the visiting 49ers. Despite entering Sunday's game with a franchise record 12-game winning-streak, many touted San Francisco would have a long day ahead of them, most notably at quarterback with rookie Brock Purdy given the Eagles' stout defense coupled with the hostile environment that is Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, but nothing could've prepared them for the piss-poor luck they would endure at the QB position yet again during Sunday's game. In fact, it would be the exact opposite for Purdy who had his day cut short due to injury. In a classic case of, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," San Francisco began their day on defense where their defensive captain in 2022 Pro-Bowl and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner would leave the field with an injury on the third play from scrimmage. Though Warner would eventually reenter the game a few plays later, his brief exit would be a bad omen for things to come for San Francisco. Facing a 4th and 3 near midfield, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would show his aggressiveness by dialing up a deep pass along the sideline to receiver DeVonta Smith. 

The play would fetch 29-yards on a catch that wasn't, as replays on TV showed the ball come loose and hit the ground upon further review. But with Philly rushing to hike the ball and insufficient evidence at the time for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to risk losing a timeout with an early challenge in the game's opening minutes with only seconds to react, the Eagles successfully got away with one and capitalized just two plays later with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from running back Miles Sanders. Looking to answer with their first possession on offense, the 49ers began moving the ball and converted on a pair of first downs before disaster struck. Facing a 2nd and 6 on San Francisco's sixth play from scrimmage, QB Brock Purdy took a hit to his throwing arm that jarred the ball loose up into the air and nearly intercepted. What was initially ruled an incompletion would wind up being a fumble as Sirianni threw his challenge flag and was awarded the ball on what would be Purdy's first career fumble. But even worse than the turnover and adding insult to injury, Purdy would exit the game with an elbow injury and would have to be attended to by the team's medical staff. Already down to their third-string quarterback, the 49ers' unbelievable luck would turn from bad to worse as they were forced to call upon their fourth-string QB in journeyman Josh Johnson. 

With both teams exchanging punts for the greater part of the first quarter, San Francisco would finally find an answer thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey who bounced free from one tackle and broke another on his way to the end zone in the second quarter. It would mark the 9th straight game with a touchdown for McCaffrey, the longest streak by a 49er since Terrell Owens in 1998. After benefiting from the phantom catch on their first drive, Philadelphia's ensuing possession would be fueled by a barrage of 49er penalties (four in total) that ended with another touchdown from Miles Sanders who found the end zone for a second time. With the 49ers now trailing 14-7, any hopes of taking some momentum into the locker room at the half went out the window on San Francisco's following possession. With under two-minutes to go and San Francisco set to receive the second half kick-off, the Niners were in prime position to tie the game or at least put a dent in Philadelphia's lead. Instead, Johnson fumbled the snap and was unable to recover the ball, giving Philadelphia a golden opportunity to add to their lead before halftime.  

They often say teams in the NFL will only go as far as their quarterback will take them. San Francisco had rewrote that mantra a few times this season after injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but with Brock Purdy falling to injury on San Francisco's first drive, the team's luck would finally run out and they would hit a brick wall. Having played for 13 different NFL franchises throughout his professional career, Johnson looked every bit like a quarterback who has had trouble sticking around with one team. Despite lacking that big play ability, all his coach and teammates had asked of Johnson was to keep his team in the game by avoiding the costly mistakes. Something he would fail to do. Unlike the Purdy fumble, the Eagles would cash in on Johnson's gaffe with a third rushing touchdown, this time from running back Boston Scott. Trailing 21-7 to start the second half, the injury bug would strike the 49ers quarterback position yet again as Johnson would also be forced to leave the game due to injury after sustaining a concussion on San Francisco's first possession of the third quarter. 

With Purdy checking back into the game, coach Shanahan had kicked the tires on appointing emergency quarterback duties to running back Christian McCaffrey who was seen shuffling through helmets with the team's equipment staff, before Shanahan elected to summon his starter again. Clearly in pain and limited in what he could do with the football, Purdy toughed it out to finish the ballgame, attempting only two passes the rest of the way, both on short screen-passes that traveled no more than 3-yards each. With the Philadelphia defense stacking the box to stop the run on virtually every down, it was like shooting fish in a barrel against a 49er offense that would be a shell of its former self, relegated to one-dimension and handcuffed for the remainder of the game with no other healthy quarterback options on the active roster. While the Eagles added another touchdown and a field goal, San Francisco's last two possessions ended in a turnover on downs and a Deebo Samuel fumble. Having lost the turnover battle and a pair of quarterbacks to boot, penalties would also add to the team's agony and dig an even bigger hole than they would be able to crawl out of as San Francisco was called for 11 penalties on the afternoon to Philly's 4. Despite falling by a final score of 31-7, San Francisco's defense held the Eagles' No. 1 ranked offense in Yards Per Game to just 269 total yards. 

If you ever wondered what a team that has their soul ripped out in the opening minutes looked like, look no further than San Francisco's first offensive possession when Purdy went down with the injury. Purdy finished with 23 yards passing and 4 for 4 on completions, meanwhile Johnson threw for 74 yards on 7 of 13 passes. Running back Christian McCaffrey would be the lone bright spot for the Niners by tallying 106 yards of total offense and a touchdown in the loss. Eagles QB and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts did not impress by any means, throwing for a modest 121 yards on 15 of 25 attempts, while adding another 39 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries, but managed to play a turnover-free game. On a relatively quiet day for the Eagle offense, no member of the team collected more than 36 yards receiving. For San Francisco who finished with a record of 15-5, the season comes to a bitter end as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have now lost in back to back NFC Championships and will head into the offseason with even more questions at the quarterback position. With plenty of unknowns surrounding Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy who confirmed on Monday that he had suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that will require him to recover for at least the next six months and possibly longer with a decision yet to be made on undergoing surgery, it's shaping up to be a long off-season for the 49er Faithful. Not to mention the void that will need to be filled at defensive-coordinator with DeMeco Ryans a shoo-in to land the Houston Texans head coaching gig. 

Super Bowl LVII: Clinching their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and first since winning it all in 2017, Philadelphia will head to the desert to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, seeking just their second Super Bowl trophy. As for K.C. who will be making their third Super Bowl appearance in four years, the team will be vying for a third Super Bowl trophy and second under head coach Andy Reid who will be facing his former team. 

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49ers Blow Late Lead, Fall in Super Bowl LIV

Heading into Super Bowl 54, there were plenty of story lines to tickle your fancy. If its superstar quarterbacks you like, look no further as no QB match-up in the history of the Super Bowl featured two players with a higher winning percentage than that of San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo and Kansas City's reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes. If head coaches are more your style, you'd be treated to two of the best minds the game has ever seen, both old school and new. If you prefer big-time play-makers on offense, take your pick as both teams featured a plethora of players in the receiver, tight-end and running back departments capable of making the highlight reel. If it was defense you desired, the 49ers showcased one of the best young defenses we've seen in years. And for three and a half quarters, that defense would look the part. Unfortunately, as we've witnessed all too often, if you don't show up for all four quarters in the NFL, you're likely to lose. That's unless your team possesses one Patrick Mahomes.

No stranger to winning the big game in Miami, the San Francisco 49ers who had claimed two of their five Super Bowl titles in the Magic City, were hoping to make it a third on Sunday while donning their white away uniforms. In comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs were out to get their second title in franchise history while making their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. Winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, things began looking up for Kyle Shanahan's 49ers squad who after forcing Kansas City to punt on a three and out, were able to strike first and get on the scoreboard early. Thanks to a big play on the ground by rookie receiver Deebo Samuel, the Niners crossed midfield, but were unable to reach the red zone and had to settle for a Robbie Gould field goal. Inspired by San Francisco's 10-play drive that took nearly six minutes, Mahomes and company did them one better by orchestrating a 15-play drive that chewed up almost seven and a half minutes and ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Mahomes himself. Any hopes of a response from Garoppolo would be shot down rather quickly as the 49er QB hurried a pass after feeling the pressure of a potential sack and fluttered the ball up in the air and into the arms of a Chiefs defender who came up with the interception. Taking advantage of the early turnover, K.C. increased their lead with a field goal.

Like he's done so often this season, Garoppolo shook off the early interception with a touchdown-scoring drive that would tie the game at 10-all. Having relied heavily on his fullback for his run-blocking prowess, Jimmy G awarded him with a touchdown reception as Kyle Juszczyk made the catch, fought off a defender and plunged into the end zone for the 15-yard score. With the fullback position deemed a dying breed in today's NFL, it would be the first TD scored by a fullback in the Super Bowl since Tampa Bay's Mike Alstott in Super Bowl 37. Getting the ball back following a K.C. punt, the 49ers had a chance to retake the lead heading into the half as just 59 seconds remained. In possession of two of their three timeouts, coach Shanahan didn't appear all that interested until third down as he drew up running plays on each of their first two downs. It wasn't until a 20-yard pass to fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr. that Shanny and the Niner offense began taking things serious before halftime. With 14-seconds left, Garoppolo connected on a 42-yard pass to his tight-end George Kittle that would've put San Francisco in field goal range. Instead, Kittle would be flagged for a rather questionable offensive pass interference call that turned a 42-yard gain into a 10-yard loss that ended the half. In only the fourth Super Bowl to ever feature a tie game at the half and first since Super Bowl 49, the 49er defense would hold the Chiefs offense to their fewest first half point total of the season in preparation of a wild second half.

Opening the third quarter the same way as the first, the 49ers managed to take a 13-10 lead with Robbie Gould's second field goal of the night. Looking to make their first stamp of the game on defense, rookie sensation Nick Bosa nearly caused the first Chiefs turnover when he stripped the ball from the hands of Mahomes who was quick to recover the fumble. However, Mahomes wouldn't be as lucky on the next play as the 49ers would get their turnover in the form of a Fred Warner interception as he jumped in front of a pass intended for Tyreke Hill. Cashing in on the rare quarterback miscue which marked Mahomes' first career postseason interception, running back Raheem Mostert plowed his way into the end zone for a touchdown. Mahomes would be intercepted for a second time on the very next drive as a pass thrown behind the receiver went off the hands of Hill and into the arms of safety Tarvarius Moore who collected his first career pick. With a chance to blow the game open, San Francisco's offense was unable to do anything with the Chiefs' second consecutive turnover as K.C. was given another chance. And like they've shown on multiple occasions this year and more specifically this postseason, Mahomes and company would capitalize on that opportunity and make the opposition pay.

With under nine minutes remaining and Kansas City starring down a 10-point deficit, Andy Reid's offense would take us on a roller coaster ride that caught the emotions of both teams' fans and players alike. No one play would exemplify that more than a pivotal 3rd and 15 play that would turn the tide and shift all momentum from the side of San Francisco to that of Kansas City. Converting on the third and long, Mahomes lobbed a strike to the speedy Hill who got behind the defense with a 44-yard reception that ultimately broke both the back and the spirit of the Niner D. On what would be the most important play of the game, K.C. appeared to get away with a holding call as Nick Bosa applied pressure to the QB but was taken out of the play by offensive-tackle Eric Fisher. Following consecutive incompletions, a crucial pass interference penalty against Moore on Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce turned a would-be 4th and 10 from the 21 yard-line into a 1st and goal from the 1. One play later, Kelce would not be denied as he was left all alone in the back of the end zone where Mahomes would find him for the easy score. Holding on for dear life with their 10-point lead cut to just 3 at the 6:17 mark, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers began to appear as if they were playing not to lose opposed to playing to win.

With a three and out coming at the worst possible time for the Niner offense, the Chiefs began clicking once again with everything working in their favor as Mahomes slipped a potential sack from Bosa to find Kelce for the first down. Two plays later, receiver Sammy Watkins used his quickness to breeze by Richard Sherman and catch a pass in stride for a 38 yard reception. It was at that moment that you knew it was only a matter of time before K.C. took the lead and whether or not San Francisco would have enough time of their own to try and answer. Facing 3rd and goal, running back Damien Williams caught a pass and extended the ball over the goal-line just enough to break the plain for the go-ahead touchdown before stepping out of bounds. From leading 20-10 to trailing 24-20 in a matter of minutes, the 49ers suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar territory and in need of a touchdown-scoring drive. With the two-minute warning approaching and all three timeouts remaining, the 49ers appeared to have K.C. right where they wanted them. And a 17-yard carry by Mostert on 1st down gave us a flash of what we thought was a sign of things to come and a repeat of what ultimately led the Niners through each of their previous two playoff wins spearheaded by the dominant run-game. Instead, that game plan would be abandoned.

Having relied heavily on the running aspect of the offense, Mostert's carry on the first play of the drive would be the last rushing attempt by the 49er offense. Following a false start penalty by Emmanuel Sanders that would bring up 1st and 15, Shanahan called for six consecutive passing plays. Facing 3rd and 10 near midfield following a pair of tipped and batted down passes, Garoppolo dropped back and chucked a bomb to Sanders who had broke free of the secondary. Overthrown on the pass, the possibility of a game-winning touchdown reception in the final minutes would leave Niner fans wondering, "what if?" And on 4th and 10 with the play clock at 0, Garoppolo would be sacked for the turnover on downs. Adding salt to the wound, the Chiefs would take advantage of a winded 49er defense to put the final nail in the coffin as Damien Williams broke for a 38-yard rushing touchdown. Facing their largest deficit of the game trailing 31-20 and in need of a miracle, K.C. would apply the dagger into the hearts of Niner fans as Kendall Fuller intercepted a pass from Garoppolo to seal the deal.

Snubbed by his own quarterback for Super Bowl MVP honors, Chiefs running back Damien Williams rushed for 104 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries, while also adding 29 yards and a receiving touchdown on 4 receptions. Tyreke Hill led all receivers in receiving yards (105) and receptions (9), and Patrick Mahomes out dueled Jimmy Garoppolo by throwing for 286 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions to Jimmy G's 219 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. By taking home the hardware, Mahomes is the first player in NFL history under the age of 25 to be named both league MVP and Super Bowl MVP and win a Super Bowl, and just the second youngest QB to win a Super Bowl (Ben Roethlisberger). Not nearly as lethal as he was in the NFC Championship game against Green Bay, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert still averaged close to 5 yards per carry by rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts (4.8 avg). Last but not least, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid captures his first career title that has long illuded him and took him 21 seasons to accomplish as he becomes the 6th oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at 61 years, 320 days. Winning the big one would be a long time coming for Chiefs fans who've anxiously waited to see their team hoist the Lombardi Trophy exactly 50 years in the making.

As for the 49ers who all season long had celebrated the 25th anniversary of their last title during the 1994 season, fans like myself are still waiting and hope to one day see the team return to glory like they did oh so often during the 80's and 90's. With only three losses in the regular season, all of which coming by single-digits and on the final play of the game, Sunday's outcome which the final score would not reflect given the last-minute touchdown, would be a different kind of hurt for the 49er faithful. After all, it's not the loss that hurts, but rather the fashion in which they lost. Nevertheless, players like George Kittle and DeForest Buckner are already counting down the days until next season and like their chances of returning to the Super Bowl in what they're calling their, "redemption tour."

What went Wrong - Though I'm not one to blame a loss on poor officiating, there were several head-scratching calls that I thought put a dent in San Francisco's chances of winning this game. But even then, they should've still won. To me, there wasn't one reason or thing that led to San Francisco's downfall, but rather a combination of things that led to them shooting themselves in the foot. Though there was a mixture of poor clock-management and bad play-calling in my opinion on behalf of the coaching staff, the on-field execution in the fourth quarter by the quarterback was equally to blame for their collapse. Ultimately what it boils down to at the end of the day whether true or false, is Jimmy G will be looked upon as a liability despite the team's 4-20 record without him under the current regime, and that this is the second game now in which a Shanahan-led offense has built a large lead in the biggest game of his team's life, only to let it slip away in the second half. The overthrown pass by Garoppolo to Sanders wasn't the only missed opportunity late by the QB, only the most visible as George Kittle was also left open on several plays but either never had the ball thrown his way or the ball was batted down at the line of scrimmage before it could get to him. And then there's the simple thought of continuing to feed running back Raheem Mostert who played a large role in helping the 49er offense get to the Super Bowl in the first place.

A look Ahead - If there is such a thing for a heartbroken fan base that could almost taste the champagne of victory, making sense of the gut-punch that is defeat, is best done when looking at the glass as half full. At least in the case of this young San Francisco team. After becoming just the third franchise to punch their ticket to a Super Bowl after winning only 4-games the previous season, albeit following a season-ending injury at the quarterback position three weeks into the year, it's hard not to believe that this won't be the first of many Super Bowl appearances to come for this young squad. Though nothing is ever granted in the sport of football, San Francisco possesses the perfect ingredients to make playing on Super Bowl Sunday an ongoing trend. While it does not take away from the sting and disappointment of the loss itself for a team that was mere minutes and a blown 10-point lead away from hoisting a record-tying sixth Lombardi trophy, it does make for a positive outlook in the foreseeable future. After playing in a Super Bowl that the 49ers really had no business being in if you stop and think about the blueprints of this team that has performed and developed ahead of schedule up to this point, you'd have to think that greener pastures lie ahead. Not to mention 2019-20 marked the first full year for Jimmy Garoppolo as a starter and in this offense. With the brain trust of Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch entering year four of their six year deals and a nucleus of young talent on both sides of the ball in place for many years to come, the 49ers are in prime position to be perennial contenders for the better part of the next decade. However, things won't be easy in their own backyard of the NFC West which has proven to be one of if not the toughest division in all of football. With the Los Angeles Rams only a year removed from making a Super Bowl appearance of their own and Russell Wilson continuing to put up MVP-caliber seasons for Seattle, the Arizona Cardinals are not to be slept on and are expected to be much improved in year two of Kyle Murray and Kliff Kingsbury's careers.


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49ers Run Rampant vs Packers, Punch Ticket to Super Bowl to face Chiefs

NFC Championship - After hosting their first ever playoff game a week ago at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara by handily beating the Minnesota Vikings, Conference Championship Sunday would bring another first to the San Francisco 49ers who despite playing in their NFL-leading 16th NFC Championship, hosted their first ever title game at their new digs and first overall since 2011. Playing host to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers who Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team beat to a pulp during Week 12 of the regular season, all the talk coming into the game was how things would play out differently in the rematch for the Packers quarterback. But even for a future Hall of Famer and former Super Bowl winning QB who will be remembered as one of the greatest of all-time at his position, the combination of San Francisco's lethal running game and dominant defense once again proved to be too much for the Chico, California native who grew up rooting for this 49ers team that has now handed him three early exits from the postseason throughout his career.

Though Sunday's game didn't get out of hand quite as quickly as it did in the Week 12 meeting, once the Niners got rolling on offense, there was little to nothing Green Bay could do against the runaway train that was the San Francisco run game. With Green Bay winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, it was the Packers defense that made the initial stop by forcing a 49ers three and out on their opening possession. Failing to take advantage of the early opportunity, the Packers, too, would have to punt which triggered six consecutive scoring drives for Kyle Shanahan's offense. It wasn't long before the game turned into the Raheem Mostert show as the undrafted running back out of Purdue opened the scoring with a 36-yard rushing touchdown before setting multiple postseason franchise records. With starting running back Tevin Coleman carted off the field with a shoulder injury, the Niners' radio call would sound like a broken record as Mostert scored all four of San Francisco's touchdowns and by halftime, the 49ers had jumped out to a 27-0 lead. When Green Bay wasn't calling on the punt team in the first half, they were left scratching their heads as the 49er defense forced turnovers on back to back possessions when a fumbled snap put an end to the Packers' best-looking drive of the half, followed by Emmanuel Moseley's interception which kept the shutout alive heading into halftime.

Rodgers and company would open the second half with their longest and most successful drive of the game when he helped lead the offense on an 11-play drive that ended in a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Aaron Jones. But answering Green Bay's first score of the game would be Mostert who made NFL history by becoming the first player to ever score four rushing touchdowns in a conference championship. The Packers would string together touchdowns on each of their next two drives, but a Robbie Gould field goal and a Richard Sherman interception following the two-minute warning, would spell doom for Rodgers and co. who came up short both on the clock and on the scoreboard as San Francisco pulled off the 37-20 win to punch their ticket to Miami for Super Bowl 54. In just their third year at the helm, the brain trust of Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch got the 49ers back to the promised land of competing for and appearing in a Super Bowl.

Though Rodgers would pass Packers great Brett Favre for the most postseason passing touchdowns in franchise history and moved into a tie with Peyton Manning for 4th most all-time postseason passing TD's with 40, he dropped to 0-5 in his career as a starter in the postseason against teams ranked top 10 in pass defense (SF ranked No. 1). In their two meetings combined this season, the 49ers have outscored Green Bay 50-0 in the first half. Perhaps the most remarkable stat of the entire game was that of 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo and just how little was needed from their franchise quarterback. Despite dispatching the Packers for the second time this season, the Niners needed only eight pass attempts from their star quarterback on Sunday as Jimmy G finished the game 6 for 8 with 77 yards, no giveaways and a 104.7 passer rating. In contrast, Rodgers who is now 0-3 in his career during the postseason against the Niners, finished with 326 yards passing on 31 of 39 attempts, threw for a pair of touchdowns but had three giveaways on his way to a 97.2 passer rating. With no answer for the Niners rushing attack from Green Bay, Shanahan was able to feed his running backs and bleed the clock in route to a record day from one of the most unlikeliest of heroes.

NFL Cinderella - One story that cannot be talked about enough is that of 49ers running back Raheem Mostert. Cut from seven teams before landing with the Niners, including the woeful Cleveland Browns, Mostert who did not have a single rushing attempt in the NFL before landing in Kyle Shanahan's system, became the first player in NFL history to record 150+ rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in a single half of a playoff game. Compiling a conference championship record of 220 yards on 19 rushing attempts to go along with his four TD's, Mostert could not be stopped on Sunday. It would be the most rushing yards in 49ers postseason history and the 2nd most in NFL postseason history as his 36-yard score in the first quarter was the 49ers' longest rushing touchdown in the playoffs since former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's then record-setting performance against Green Bay in the 2012 divisional round which helped pave their way to Super Bowl 47.

Super Bowl Preview - The table is officially set for Super Bowl 54 as the San Francisco 49ers will take on the winners of the AFC in the Kansas City Chiefs. Making their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years and their third appearance overall, the Chiefs who under head coach Andy Reid and led by 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes, were able to book their flight to Miami after pulling off a pair of thrilling come-from-behind victories against both the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans. Despite earning the top seed in the AFC a year ago, making it back to the Super Bowl has been a long time coming for K.C. fans who witnessed their team fail at making it past Tom Brady and the Patriots in last year's conference title game. Still chasing the Lombardi Trophy in what is his 20th season as a head coach in the NFL, the former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles will now look to his young star quarterback to help him secure that piece of hardware that has long eluded him. When that game kicks off two weeks from now, Mahomes will become the 5th youngest QB to start a Super Bowl and would be the 2nd youngest ever (Ben Roethlisberger) to win it. Something Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense will do everything in their power to try and prevent from happening in what will be San Francisco's seventh Super Bowl appearance.

No strangers to playing the big game in Miami where the 49ers have won two of their five Super Bowl titles, San Francisco is only the third team to reach the Super Bowl after coming off a 4-win season and first to do it since the 1999 St. Louis Rams who went on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The only other team to accomplish the feat was the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals who lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl 23 in 1988. But unlike that Super Bowl winning team that was part of a 49er dynasty, this team will have to deliver against the best arm in the game. Having struggled this year against mobile quarterbacks, the San Francisco defense can ill-afford to let Mahomes get comfortable when scrambling out of the pocket and need to prevent him from extending the play. They'll also have their hands full with one of the more dangerous receiving corps in the league when they lineup against speedsters Tyreke Hill and Sammy Watkins as well as one of the best tight-ends in the league in Travis Kelce. Much improved from last year, the Kansas City defense was able to do something no team had done since Week 8 by holding the Titans to under 100 yards rushing in their 35-24 win on Sunday. Containing 2019 rushing champion Derrick Henry to just 69-yards, the Chiefs will try to employ a similar game plan against Mostert and the 49ers run game.

With a limited arsenal from Jimmy Garoppolo and the passing game which saw only one target and completion to George Kittle in what was the second consecutive game in which Kittle was asked to do very little outside of blocking his tail off, I expect Shanahan and the Niner offense to dial up a heavy dose of action for their All-Pro tight-end come Super Bowl Sunday. With seven players on their roster with Super Bowl experience, San Francisco enters the game as 1.5 point underdogs. In what should be a spectacular match-up of two explosive teams on both sides of the ball and two rabid fan bases, Super Bowl 54 has the makings of what could be an instant classic that could very well come down to who's able to play mistake-free football and steer clear of the costly turnovers and penalties. Adding some spice on Sunday whether intentional or not was Chiefs defensive-end Frank Clark who in an expletive-laden post-game interview following the win over Tennessee, referenced the infamous off-sides penalty by former Chief and current 49er Dee Ford. Clark who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to replace Ford who was then traded to San Francisco, also wears Ford's old jersey number 55.


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Super Bowl 53 Preview & Prediction

With the AFC and NFC Conference Championships in the books, the table is officially set for Super Bowl 53 which will feature the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams punched their ticket to the big game by knocking off the number one seeds in their respective conferences. In what will be the ninth Super Bowl appearance of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's career, his foe this time around will be a familiar one. Making it to the big dance for the first time since Super Bowl 36 when Brady jump-started his Hall of Fame career with a win over a St. Louis Rams team led by Canton alum Kurt Warner, this Rams team looks to avenge the loss suffered by their "Greatest Show on Turf" brethren and bring the city of Los Angeles its first Super Bowl title since 1983 when the Raiders were still calling SoCal home. With the help of a last-second field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri, a young Brady helped the Patriots deny the Rams' plans of winning their second title in three years and ignite what would eventually be the start of a dynasty for New England.

Though this might be the same Tom Brady who's made a habit out of winning ballgames only with a lot more mileage on him, these aren't those same Rams he claimed title No. 1 against for a variety of reasons. Obviously they've endured a name change since relocating from St. Louis back to Los Angeles in 2016, but this Rams team also showcases a much scarier defense than that of any Rams team of the past, appropriately nicknamed the "Mob Squad". And unless you're a Tom Brady fanboy, New England native or salty Saints fan, chances are you're rooting for the Rams in this one, much like myself. But let's start with a little background on how both teams got here.

For the Rams who finished the season tied with the Saints for the best record in football at 13-3 and entered the playoffs as a No. 2 seed, the mentality coming into the year was virtually Super Bowl or bust after a busy offseason which included the acquisitions of speedy receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive stalwart Ndamukong Suh and the duo of Pro Bowl cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Not to mention the mid-season acquisition of Dante Fowler and the big paydays given to running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald who agreed to contract extensions that would make them the highest-paid players at their respective positions. Getting off to an 8-0 start before falling to the Saints in New Orleans in Week 9, the Rams would be given a chance to avenge their first loss of the season with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line after taking care of the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round. In a rematch of the Week 9 shootout which saw the Saints walk away with the 45-35 win, the Rams would once again have to come from behind, only this time they would prevail and move on. After watching New Orleans jump out to an early 13-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Rams held Drew Brees and the Saints to only 10-points the rest of the way and received clutch field goals from kicker Greg Zuerlein from 48 and 57 yards to send the game into overtime and ultimately catapult the Rams to the Super Bowl with a 26-23 victory. And while the game lived up to the hype of an NFC Championship, it would be a forgetful day for the officiating crew calling the game as there were a handful of missed calls in this one, but none bigger than the pass interference call that wasn't.

With 1:41 remaining in regulation, Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman committed what appeared to be an obvious penalty on Tommylee Lewis when he prematurely ran into the Saints receiver without even turning for the ball. What could've resulted in a flag for either helmet to helmet or pass interference -- take your pick, instead was treated as a basic incompletion which sent Saints head coach Sean Payton into a tirade and left the Superdome faithful in a chorus of boo's. The penalty would've likely allowed the Saints to milk the clock before settling for a last-second field goal to punch their ticket to Atlanta. Speaking in front of the media post-game, Payton went on to say that the league office had contacted him after the game and admitted that the officiating crew made a mistake and missed the call. Some are calling it the worst no-call they've ever seen, while others have pointed to another missed call on a face-masking penalty that the Saints got away with while the Rams were in the red zone one possession earlier before having to settle for a field goal. Regardless, it's the Rams who will be advancing to try and get their hands on the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, the heartbreaking loss is the second in as many years for the Saints in which they've been sent packing in the playoffs after suffering freak occurrences if you will. You may remember how last year ended for them when the Vikings scored on a walk-off touchdown appropriately named the "Minneapolis Miracle" from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs as time expired.

Now stop me when you've heard this story before, the New England Patriots have won the AFC title and are going to the Super Bowl. The Pats could miss the next ten Super Bowl's and we'd still be tired of seeing them there. However, they do make for some exciting, drama-filled games just about every year they've advanced to the big dance, so I'll give them that. But this was supposed to be the year that the Patriots fell off. This was supposed to be the year that father time caught up to the ageless wonder that is Tom Brady. And just when we began to think that their reign was coming to an end as Bill Belichick's Patriots began the season 1-2 following back to back losses to the lowly Jaguars and Lions, the phoenix rose from the ashes and finished the season 11-5, good enough for the AFC's No. 2 seed and a first round BYE. If we've ever had confidence in any team come playoff time over the last 20 or so years, it's been the Patriots. Regardless of how they get there, once they're in, it's smooth sailing unless you're the opposition. With a stout defense and a knack for playing better football on the road than at home, the Los Angeles Chargers at 12-4 on the year were supposed to be the team to go into Foxborough and upset the Patriots in the Divisional round. Instead, Brady and company dispatched Philip Rivers and the Chargers with ease, taking a 35-7 lead into the half before toying with them the rest of the way and allowing a pair of garbage time touchdowns in a 41-28 shellacking.

Then came the Chiefs who had vengeance on their mind and home-field advantage in their pocket. After suffering a 43-40 loss to New England in Week 6, their first and only loss until the Monday Night showdown with the Rams in Week 11, Andy Reid's Chiefs led by MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes, were thought to have enough firepower to overcome the 2-time defending AFC Champions. And though they would push New England to the brink and force the game into overtime, it was Brady and Belichick who would have their hand raised when the clock hit double-zero. With the Patriots opening the game with a 15-play drive that ate up over 8 minutes, things looked grim from the start for the Chiefs. More putrid officiating would come into play, again favoring the Patriots who benefited from a bogus roughing the passer penalty late in the fourth quarter on third down which eventually led to a touchdown-scoring drive. They would later dodge a bullet with a reversed call on what appeared to be a muffed punt by Julian Edelman and received a gift on a questionable catch by Chris Hogan that appeared to touch the ground but was ruled a catch upon further review. The Chiefs would rally in a fourth quarter that saw a combined 38-points scored between the two teams, but only to see their dreams come crashing down in OT as the Patriots won the coin-toss and marched down the field without giving Kansas City a chance which now has many people in and around football crying for a rule change that would give each team the ball at least once... As much as I was pulling for K.C. in that one, no thanks.

So instead of the Chiefs-Rams Monday Night rematch we were all salivating at and crossing our fingers for, we get Patriots-Rams. Sean McVay, arguably the best young coach in the league today will now go toe to toe with undoubtedly the greatest coach of all-time in Bill Belichick in a battle of new school versus old school. Quarterbacks Jared Goff who's young enough to be the son of his counterpart versus Tom Brady who has more Super Bowl appearances than any single team, two California natives from the Bay Area will square off. Running backs Todd Gurley versus Sony Michel, two former 1st round picks from the University of Georgia. If the match-ups don't catch your attention, perhaps the stats will. A win on Super Bowl Sunday would give the Patriots the most postseason wins in NFL history as they're currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers with 36. The Rams offense which ranks second in the league in both yards per game (421.1) and points per game (32.9), means the Patriots will have their hands full on defense once again and will need a repeat performance of what they were able to accomplish against Mahomes and the Chiefs.

One thing that's certain if the Rams want to reign victorious on Super Sunday is that they'll need a lot more help from star running back Todd Gurley. Despite the limited production against New Orleans, the Rams offense was able to get by with little to no assistance from Gurley (4 rushes, 10 yards, 1 touchdown), something I don't think they'll be able to do if they plan on taking down Brady and co. But ultimately, I think it'll be L.A.'s defense that makes the difference in this one, most notably the pass rush led by Donald and Suh. Then again the Pats offensive-line did a stellar job on Sunday by not allowing a single sack to the Chiefs who tied for the league lead in team sacks this season. With the opening line tabbing the Rams as 1-point favorites, it didn't take long for the big money to come flying in on New England who found themselves 1.5-point favorites just hours later. With all that said, I'm going Rams with the 26-20 win. Let's just hope the officiating or lack thereof doesn't play as big a role in this game as it did the previous two...


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Stocked and Loaded Super Bowl LII

With the 2017 NFL season nearing its end and the championship round of the playoffs in the books, the table is officially set for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, we'll either have a newly crowned champion for the first time in their franchises history or the dynamic duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will add yet another title to their already crowded trophy case. And unless you're a Pats fan or actually live in New England (or a bitter Vikings fan and rightfully so), chances are you aren't hoping for the latter. In fact, this blog took me a lot longer to post due to the fact that the match-up is probably one we could've all done without seeing as the Patriots are a team everyone outside of New England is pretty much tired of seeing in the Super Bowl. And then there's the Eagles who you would think would be a rather easy team to root for in this case, seeing as they have zero Super Bowl titles to their name, but their fan base has seemingly done virtually everything possible to make us not root for them.

I'm aware that Philly sports fans have had a long storied history of having a bad reputation which spans from throwing batteries at Terrell Owens to pelting Santa Clause with snowballs, but this season saw a new low for Philly fans. Entering their match-up with the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship, videos went viral showing a trio of Viking fans walking to Lincoln Financial Field while being booed and having expletives thrown their way. Both of which are completely normal for an opposing fan when stepping foot into enemy territory. But after those boo's and expletives came booze as Eagle fans began throwing beer cans and bottles at the fans. Not only is this dangerous but it's also a waste of beer, therefore that's minus two points for Philly fans from the jump. And then footage went viral of Eagles fans chucking beer and other items at the Vikings team bus after the game. Again, dangerous and a waste of beer. Finally, Eagles fans took to the streets of Philly to celebrate their Super Bowl-clinching win like fans normally do, no surprise there. But footage surfacing of two Eagles fans holding a banner that read, "Fuck Millie, Philly Philly", referring to 99-year old Vikings super fan Millie Wall who won over the hearts of football fans across the nation during Minnesota's miraculous last-second victory over the New Orleans Saints to punch their ticket to the NFC Championship. Thankfully no beer was wasted for a third time around (at least that we know of), but another low-blow by Philly fans nonetheless. All of this considered, I might have to cheer for New England in the Super Bowl... Who the heck am I kidding, that's still not enough to make me root for the Patriots. So the lesser of two evils it is. Fly Eagles Fly!...at least I think that's how it goes. 

Kidding aside, this could be a much better game than everyone seems to expect between the two No. 1 seeds. As much as we hate to see them in the big game, Super Bowl's containing the Patriots have made for some of the more entertaining Super Bowl's we've seen in years passed. Then again for most of us it's hard to think back to a Super Bowl that hasn't included Tom Brady and company which isn't so much a shot at the brilliance of he and his head coach as it is a tip of the hat. With the duo already owning the record for the most Super Bowl titles with five, the future Hall of Fame tandem which has already reached legendary status, can add yet another notch to their belt with a win on Sunday. And with many thinking this could be their last true go around at a championship with rumors swirling about the recent dysfunction stemming from the Jimmy Garoppolo trade and the butting of heads regarding Brady's personal doctor, I wouldn't put it passed them considering the now 40-year old Brady is still playing at a high level and says he wouldn't mind playing until he's 45. Not to mention how far behind the rest of the AFC appears to be from the Patriots. Likely to be named MVP for the 3rd time in his career, an award that likely would've been awarded to a quarterback (Carson Wentz) who will be on the opposite sideline of Brady had it not been for a season-ending knee injury, Tom Terrific has shown no signs of slowing, but will be asked to win with a different set of coordinators on both sides of the ball moving forward. Leaving coach Belichick's staff following the Super Bowl will be offensive and defensive coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia who are expected to take over the head coaching vacancies of the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions, respectively. 

And then there's the Philadelphia Eagles who despite cruising into the playoffs owning the NFC's No. 1 seed and tied with a league-best record of 13-3 in the regular season, have been ruled underdogs during their entire postseason run. Playing at home in each of those two playoff games, they'll most certainly be underdogs for a third consecutive week while playing on a neutral field. And given how the team has reacted to the underdog label, they're perfectly fine with that and are hoping to keep the streak alive. With many including myself thinking the Eagles had none chance of making it to the Super Bowl the moment Wentz was lost for the season following his devastating injury suffered against the Los Angeles Rams, the team has continued to do what they've done all year long -- win. And though the injury that was initially reported as being a torn ACL and recently learned to be a LCL tear and torn IT band to boot most certainly ended any chances of Wentz taking home the MVP hardware, it has all but ruled out his team's desire to bring home the true prize of them all -- the Lombardi Trophy. 

Though Brady will be favored over an Eagles offense led by backup QB Nick Foles, don't let the backup label fool you as Foles who hasn't necessarily been on this stage before, making his Super Bowl debut, he's had his fair share of success as he helped Philadelphia to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth in 2013 while putting up gaudy numbers in the regular season to the tune of 27 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. And while he's been a shadow of his 2013 self in the regular season, his last few outings have been some of his best since then. After playing a safe game against Atlanta in which Foles failed to record a single touchdown but also steered clear of any turnovers while throwing for 246 yards in the close 15-10 win, he erupted for 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and 352 yards against a stout Minnesota defense that Foles was able to pick apart as he helped Philly cruise to an easy 38-7 victory. With the Patriots opening as 5.5 point favorites, those odds took a one point dip since then due to the uncertain health of New England tight-end Rob Gronkowski who's been monitored in the league's concussion protocol after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit which forced him to leave the AFC Championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Odds makers likely saw what Brady and the NFL's No.1 offense accomplished in the fourth quarter of their comeback victory over a stout Jacksonville defense and like their chances of repeating the feat against a Philadelphia defense that also ranks high. But Philly's defensive advantage is at stopping the run, not so much against the pass which is what you want when facing Brady. 

But even if the Eagles are able to pull off the upset, they'll likely do so thanks to the heroics of their defense which ranked 4th overall this season. Jacksonville who gave Brady and the Patriots as much as a run as we've seen anybody give them in years, gave us a blueprint formula of how to defeat New England, despite not actually beating them as the dynamic duo of Belichick and Brady orchestrated yet another comeback victory in the second half despite being down 20-10 entering the fourth quarter. If Philadelphia can somewhat duplicate Jacksonville's first half for all four quarters and prove to be a handful for Brady, which is easier said than done, and Foles can put together a game similar to the one he had in the NFC Championship against the league's No. 1 defense, the Eagles can leave U.S. Bank Stadium victorious, proudly wearing their dog masks for the rest of the world to see. 

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