Like with any game, Super Bowl 58 has a lot of intriguing storylines to it, starting on the field and extending well beyond it. Firstly, you obviously have two of the NFL's best teams this season in the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, both among the most successful teams over the last several seasons.
Secondly, Sunday's game will be a rematch from the 2019 season in Super Bowl 54. Back then that was just the beginning of what now looks to be the Chiefs dynasty. Then again, the 49ers know all too well about dynasties, although just not recently, having been void of a Super Bowl title since 1994.
So, as we await the big game, to tide us over, let's explore 13 questions (get it… get it?) that could be on most people's minds. And if not, they will be after reading this.
1. What if Travis Kelce wins the Super Bowl MVP?
There has never been a tight end to win the Super Bowl MVP — that's why it would seem overly fitting for Kelce, who has had the spotlight on him for different reasons this season, to become the first to do it. It would only further build on the media frenzy that he has become thanks to his off the field relationship with Taylor Swift. He would likely be the only player who could outshine Mahomes, even if they are dependent on each other's success.
2. Can Patrick Mahomes win his third Super Bowl MVP?
Quarterbacks have won 32 of the 57 previous Super Bowl MVP awards. So, like most things in this league, the award favors quarterbacks. If Mahomes were to win his third, he would tie Joe Montana and would need two more to tie Tom Brady with five.
3. Will Kyle Shanahan blow another Super Bowl lead?
Unfortunately for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, his legacy will forever be tied to when he was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and they blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51. But Shanahan took it one step further when he blew a 20-10 lead four years ago to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 as the 49ers head coach.
The fourth quarters in both of those games have been abysmal for Shanahan's offenses, where his teams combined for no points and only a 39% completion percentage, going 0-for-6 on third down. This will definitely be something most are watching out for if the game is close late.
4. What will Brock Purdy's future be after Super Bowl 58?
At the end of Super Bowl 58, Purdy will have just concluded his second NFL season. The 24-year-old seventh-round draft pick has done better than anyone would have ever imagined. Why? Because that's just not something seventh-round draft picks typically do. Not accounting for the outlier of Tom Brady, who was a sixth-round pick, or those that were undrafted, Purdy is the lowest drafted quarterback to play in a Super Bowl since Brad Johnson in the 2003 Super Bowl. Johnson was drafted in 1992 in the ninth round at pick 227. However, there were fewer teams drafting back then.
Nonetheless, how might fans and pundits look at the young quarterback after this game? Purdy already faces tons of criticism on a daily basis. They call him a game-manager, surrounded by uber-talented players and coaching that save him from his demise.
All Purdy has done is go 21-4 since becoming the 49ers' starter and was the most efficient quarterback in the NFL this season, finishing top-5 in yards (4,280), touchdowns (31), and passer rating (113.0). But if this is a lopsided loss, with Purdy having a bad game, Shanahan might be looking to pull a Sean McVay, going after a veteran quarterback, or drafting his next guy in the draft.
5. Can the 49ers stop one trend while helping keep another?
The 49ers have an opportunity in Super Bowl 58 that hasn't gone well for those in the past. In Super Bowl rematches, it heavily favors the team who won the first meeting. Those who rematch with the same head coaches have thus far always won the second, while seven out of eight teams who have rematched, the previous winners have won the rematch, as well.
But if the 49ers can find a way to win, they would not only disallow the rematch winner to repeat, they would make it so the Chiefs would not repeat as Super Bowl champions either, extending the streak to then 19 years.
6. Without a Christian McCaffrey score, can the 49ers win?
If you've watched the 49ers offense at all this season, you know just how important McCaffrey is to the 49ers, being the workhorse on that side of the ball. He scored in all but three games this season and of the 60 touchdowns the 49ers scored offensively, McCaffrey accounted for 21 of those, between rushing or receiving. What's more, the running back has accounted for four of the seven touchdowns — two in each game — that the 49ers have scored in this year's postseason.
Will McCaffrey have to score for the 49ers to win? Are the 49ers too McCaffrey dependent? Don't forget that McCaffrey has gotten banged up toward the end of the season, so losing him entirely for the game or a large portion of it would essentially change the entire offensive strategy, more or less.
7. Can Brock Purdy lead a game-winning drive for the 49ers if needed?
Just two years under him and Purdy has three game-winning drives under his belt, with two of those coming in this year's playoffs. This postseason was the first time that the mettle of the 49ers and Purdy had been tested in quite some time, asking them to come back from what seemed like impossible deficits, especially against the Lions, down 24-7 at the half. But can Shanahan, who has his own fourth-quarter issues in play-calling and Purdy be trusted to lead the 49ers late in the game to tie or take the lead if it comes to that?
8. Will the 49ers be able to sack Patrick Mahomes, cause a turnover?
It's hard to believe that Mahomes was fourth in the league in interceptions thrown this year with 14. He was also sacked 17 times. But once the postseason hit, both of those numbers took a drastic hit in the most positive way. In three postseason games this year, Mahomes has only been sacked twice, which didn't come until late in the fourth quarter against the Ravens in the AFC title game. He has yet to throw an interception.
The 49ers defense were ranked seventh in sacks (48) and first in defensive interceptions (22) during the regular season. They have two sacks and two defensive interceptions in this year's playoffs.
9. What will the Chiefs look like after this Super Bowl, win or lose?
Sustaining a dynasty is hard, especially in the current NFL landscape where things like cap space and bloated contracts are at times the most difficult opponents. There have been plenty of rumors swirling about the futures of the Chiefs.
Though both head coach Andy Reid and Kelce have mostly shut down rumors of their retirements, there's probably not a better time to end your career than with a Super Bowl victory, if things should go the Chiefs way in Super Bowl 58.
Kelce, 34, started to show his age this season, but is under contract for one more season with Kansas City. As we've seen, he could have other things on his mind besides football now. Reid will be 66 in March and has more than stamped his legacy in the league as one of the best head coaches of all time with really nothing further to prove. Both are bonafide hall of famers.
Then you have to look at Mahomes and the massive cap hit he is now starting to become, where next year it will move to nearly $61 million, according to spotrac. The Chiefs will have just over $28 million in cap space to work with, which isn't bad, but they also have to figure out if they want to re-sign guys like Chris Jones, L'Jarius Sneed, Jerick McKinnon and others, not to mention what their other plans are in free agency. The 2024 Chiefs could look completely different next season.
10. Can Travis Kelce tie Jerry Rice's three receiving touchdowns in a game?
Kelce comes into the Super Bowl already breaking Jerry Rice's playoff receptions record. It's highly unlikely he could surpass any other of Rice's astounding records, though he could inch closer. What he could do, though, is score three touchdown receptions, something that Rice did twice in the Super Bowl. If Kelce were to pull off the feat, it would give him five, which would be three away from Rice's record, but it would tie the former 49ers wide receiver in overall playoff touchdown receptions.
11. How many kicks will Jake Moody miss and Harrison Butker make?
It's the Super Bowl, so you know it could very well come down to a game-defining kick. These are two kickers that are somewhat heading in opposite directions, though.
The 49ers' Moody is 3-for-5 in field goals this postseason, but is 7-for-7 in extra point attempts. On the flip side is Harrison Butker, who has been flawless this postseason, going 7-for-7 in field goals and extra point attempts. Plus, Butker has a wealth of experience over Moody, playing 18 postseason games, going 28-for-32 in field goals and 61-of-64 in extra points. He has just one field goal missed in his three Super Bowl appearances, which was last year against the Eagles.
12. Will Patrick Mahomes have to make another late fourth-quarter drive to win the game?
Speaking of game-winning drives, Mahomes is tied for 11th in the league with the most by active quarterbacks, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Even though the Chiefs quarterback has had some subpar play in his three Super Bowl appearances, he still has mostly shined in the fourth quarter, with two game-winning drives that earned him and Kansas City two rings. Will Mahomes become magic again in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl 58?
13. Will Travis Kelce propose to Taylor Swift after the game if the Chiefs win?
Don't act like you're not wondering if this will happen, even if you do claim that you hate the mere thought of having Taylor Swift appear on your television screen for a couple of seconds at a time. I mean, come on. The way this has played out on television to see it then reach its peak of Kelce, after winning the Super Bowl, to then follow it up with a marriage proposal, in Las Vegas of all places. That's just excellent reality television.
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