The biggest game in the NFL calendar, the Super Bowl, is always played in a neutral location; the home and away team distinctions then alternate every year, and it just so happened that the San Francisco 49ers, being the representative of the NFC, will be entering that contest as the nominal away team after the Philadelphia Eagles came in as the “home” side last year. And in a repeat of 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs will be taking the “home” distinction.

Now, it may not matter to some, but in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, these distinctions can make a world of difference. The “home” team gains the privilege of training in the facilities of the host team (in this case, the Chiefs will be using the Las Vegas Raiders' facilities at Allegiant Stadium) while the “away” side will be forced to train in the facilities of the biggest university in the host city (the 49ers will be training at UNLV).

While this is pretty cut and dry as per NFL regulation, the 49ers have found this arrangement to be pretty problematic, likening the UNLV field to a “sponge”. Some even say that the difference in conditions is “unequitable”. Nevertheless, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is adamant that training at UNLV won't be putting them at a competitive disadvantage like some fear.

“Not worried at all. … It improves each day so hopefully it will get better and better,” Shanahan said, per Cam Inman of The Mercury News.

The 49ers will be holding their scheduled practices on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so there is time for the UNLV groundskeepers to ensure that the field is in tip-top shape so as to give San Francisco the best facilities possible in preparation for the biggest game of the season.

There was a possibility that the 49ers would be practicing around the Chiefs' schedule at the Raiders' facilities, but Kyle Shanahan's words mean that that won't be taking shape. It'll be interesting to note how this arrangement affects the 49ers on Sunday, but their confidence that it won't affect them in the slightest is sky-high.