The NFL season will conclude this Sunday in Super Bowl 58 when the San Francisco 49ers will clash with the Kansas City Chiefs for the Lombardi Trophy and a chance to live in history.
Neither one of these teams is void of past or present history, although it is the Chiefs that have had more of it presently. The 49ers have played in three straight NFC Championship Games and four out of the last five seasons. But their biggest history resides well in the past, where all five of their Super Bowl titles continue to get farther in the away, their earliest being 30 years ago.
The 49ers find their way into Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium as the NFC's No. 1 seed, which means they're just now having to pack their bags for a postseason game this year. That also means that they will technically be the away team with the last year's home team being the NFC champions. But it was almost upset city for San Francisco in both of their postseason games.
In both the Divisional Round and the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers found themselves down at the beginning of the fourth quarter, not to mention down 24-7 at the half to the Detroit Lions in the conference game. They proved their mettle, though, making comebacks in each of those games. It was thought to be the biggest hurdle this overly talented team had to overcome, who had more or less pummeled their fellow opponents during the regular season.
But this is the Super Bowl, where every team has to overcome something, whether it be historical or current. So, what are the 49ers' obstacles for Super Bowl 58?
Brock Purdy facing a top defense
The Chiefs came into the postseason with the No. 2 ranked scoring defense allowing just 17.3 points per game. And so far this postseason, Josh Allen and the Bills have been the only team to put over 17 points on the board against them. What's concerning about that is three of the 49ers' five losses this season occurred after they only scored 17 points, while the other two they scored 19 and 20. Two of those games were against two teams that were top-15 in scoring defense and top-10 in total defense (Ravens and Browns). But all of San Francisco's losses, minus Week 17 when their starters were sat, were quarterback Brock Purdy had his worst games of the season where he accounted for nine turnovers to just three touchdowns. Come Sunday in Las Vegas, this will be yet again one of the best defenses Purdy faces this season.
Jake Moody overcoming latest kicking woes
In what most likely has a chance to be a close game due to how evenly matched these teams are, that means it could all come down to a field goal in the end. That is perhaps the last thing the 49ers want at this juncture of the season, however.
Even though he wowed 49ers fans by setting a franchise record of hitting a 57-yard field goal, Moody has missed at least one field goal or extra point in each of his last three games. In fact, he's just 3-for-5 in field goal attempts this postseason, with each of those misses over 40 yards. In a game where points could be scarce, the 49ers need Moody to be at his best.
Not blowing another lead
It's been well-documented by now but overcoming Kyle Shanahan's Super Bowl blown leads is something that will likely be at the forefront of everyone's minds in this year's big game. It was even in the early playoff games. It will likely continue to be that way until Shanahan walks away with a Super Bowl victory and earns himself a ring.
Of course, Shanahan is part of the worst blown lead in Super Bowl history going back to when he was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons infamously blew a late third-quarter 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots to lost the Super Bowl. But even as a head coach, Shanahan blew a 20-10 lead when the 49ers played the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54, where Kansas City scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to win the game.
Overcoming 30 years without a Super Bowl
The 49ers are one of the most decorated franchises in the entire NFL, with tons of memorable historic moments, that which includes five Super Bowl titles. But the trophy case has been rather lonely the last 30 years with no new ones to join the rest of the crew.
Since that time, the 49ers have had two more opportunities at a championship, both times falling just short, with their last one coming against the Chiefs which gave Mahomes his first ring back in 2019. A team that owned a decade more or less that bled into another one and accrued that many championships is now feeling the urgency more than ever. Overcoming that pressure will be a major obstacle for sure.
Stopping the Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce connection
Stopping the record-setting duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is going to be a challenge for the 49ers, to say the least, especially since Kelce has saved his best football this season for the playoffs. He had nine receptions and nearly a 100 yards just in the first half against the Ravens in the AFC title game. He also had some spectacular catches, one of those for a touchdown. Right now, for the Chiefs, this is the hot hand. The 49ers definitely have the talent to face the challenge, the question of execution is a different story.
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