Super Bowl LIV preview: Conference titans clash as Chiefs face 49ers
The Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, their first in 50 seasons. What are the major storylines headed into this clash of titans?
It was all a dream, I grew up watching the Chiefs on the silver screen
Priest Holmes, Tony G, and quarterback Trent Green
Return touchdowns by Dante Hall
Every Sunday football’s back, time to watch some Chiefs football – “Midnight Dream“
When I was younger and really starting to appreciate the sport of football, it was right on the tail end of the Gunther Cunningham experiment and the beginning of the Dick Vermeil years in Kansas City. For four seasons, including Vermeil’s first, the Chiefs were a talented but inconsistent football team. That all changed in 2003.
In 2003, the Chiefs would begin the year on a historic pace. They would rattle off nine straight wins and finish the season an impressive 13-3, their best record in the post-Schottenheimer era to that point. What was more impressive than their overall record was their offense.
During that season, the Chiefs offense led by Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, and Priest Holmes would rank first in points scored and second in total yards. At the time, according to Football Outsiders advanced statistical model, they were the third most prolific offense to ever play in the NFL trailing only their own output from 2002 and the Denver Broncos output from 1998. The season didn’t end how those in Chiefs Kingdom had expected, getting bounced from the playoffs by the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts in the famous “no punt game.” Yet, there was great hope for the future.
I rehash all this in relation to Super Bowl LIV because, to be honest, as a kid I thought the Chiefs would always be relevant. The spectacular performances by Green, Gonzalez, Holmes, Hall, and so many more were permanently burned in my mind. I expected Dick Vermeil to be our coach for years, and we’d contend for multiple Super Bowls. As a kid, I didn’t understand just how difficult and rare a consistent winner is in the NFL.
The next nine seasons would be fairly tough ones. Vermeil would miss the playoffs the next two seasons, and then call it quits on a Super Bowl champion’s career yet having failed to bring that to Kansas City. Herm Edwards would take over for a short stint, backing his way into the playoffs in his first season, but things would decline precipitously over the next two seasons. After only winning 15 games in three seasons with the team, Edwards would be relieved of his duties.
His successor, Todd Haley, would have an even shorter tenure being fired near the end of his third season with the team. This brings me to Romeo Crennel, the man who conceivably got the job because he somehow pushed a team that had underachieved all season to beat an undefeated Green Bay Packers squad. Following this victory, my enthusiasm was at an all time high. I figured the Chiefs finally had someone who could motivate the team to over-achieve, something we hadn’t had in years.
Once again, my hopes and those of the other fans across Chiefs Kingdom were dashed. Crennel would not only be an incorrect attempt at solving the problem, it’s possible he was the worst fit since Schottenheimer retired. Across Chiefs Kingdom, the fire of hope was beginning to fade. The Chiefs were a joke, and there was very little reason for hope.
My point in all of this is that Super Bowl LIV, victory or no, is for the fans who have suffered year in and year out. Those who suffered through the 2000s and early 2010s, and those of even older fandom who suffered through the 1970s and 1980s. They say that joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain, and I find myself experiencing this on a daily basis as we inch closer to the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in my lifetime.
That said, Super Bowl LIV will be no cake walk. The San Francisco 49ers have one of the hottest young coaches in all of sports. They have a dynamic and athletic defense, and while their offense isn’t quite as talented, the man calling the plays has a brilliant pedigree and mind for the job.
Let’s look at the key storylines for this Super Bowl matchup.