The San Francisco 49ers are looking for redemption. A few years ago, they stood against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. The result of that game was one that Bay Area fans would rather forget. Against the budding dynasty, San Francisco crumbled at the worst possible time. The result was the Chiefs' first championship in decades and misery for the Niners.
This time around, the script has been flipped. The 49ers now enter Super Bowl LVIII as the favorites over the Chiefs. Boasting arguably the most well-rounded yet star-studded lineup in the NFL, San Francisco dominated most of their regular season opponents. On the defensive side of the ball, you have Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and the rest of the defense wrecking havoc on opposing offenses.
With so many playmakers on the team, the choices for a Super Bowl MVP for a 49ers win are endless. Let's argue why Nick Bosa, San Francisco's resident pass-rushing bear, will win the prestigious award.
Why Nick Bosa will win Super Bowl 58 MVP
The 49ers' defense has long been one of the team's biggest strength. Nick Bosa's emergence as a premier EDGE threat makes the team a truly dangerous opponent for the unprepared. Bosa's agility and strength makes him a true nightmare for opposing left tackles to handle him. However, Bosa and the Niners' pass-rush will have their work cut out for them against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl this year.
As much as we laud the 49ers' elite pass rush, the Chiefs' pass protection is just as good. Kansas City made protecting Patrick Mahomes their top priority, and it shows in their offensive line. They have two of the best interior offensive linemen in center Creed Humphrey and guard Joe Thuney. Humphrey and Thuney have the two highest win rate in pass protection amongst interior linemen, per ESPN. On the edge, they replaced the departing Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie with Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith.
Despite the Chiefs' constant struggles on offense this season, their offensive line play has remained solid at best this year (though it's seen some decline towards the end of the 2023 season). If San Francisco wants to win this Super Bowl rematch, they'll need to completely break Kansas City's iron wall. To do that, Nick Bosa will need to go berserk.
Nick Bosa holds the key to 49ers' Super Bowl win
It's not a big stretch to say that Super Bowl LVIII will likely be a gritty battle between the Chiefs and the 49ers. With two of the best defenses in the league going up against opposing offenses that saw varying struggles in the playoffs, the game will likely be decided by the defense. Whichever team blinks first will lose.
The 49ers will need to capitalize on the Chiefs' lone weakness in order to give their team the best chance of winning. This is currently the weakest offense Kansas City has fielded in years. They've gone from awful to decent to terrible week after week this season. It's been a little better in the playoffs, but the lack of a true WR1 still haunts the Chiefs right now.
Mahomes already has a lackluster group of players to throw to (save for Travis Kelce and MAYBE Rashee Rice). If you put a dent on Kansas City's impregnable fortress? That offense will collapse pretty quickly. Bosa and the 49ers' pass rush will be absolutely crucial to dominating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. If he's able to terrorize Patrick Mahomes and make his life a living hell, then the Niners will have a much easier time dispatching Kansas City.
The narrative will just simply write itself in this scenario. The Chiefs have a ton of elite players protecting Patrick Mahomes, but one man demolished that wall. Bosa, in one of the greatest playoff performances of this season, broke through Kansas City's vaunted offensive line and recorded two sacks, one of which was a crucial third down. Isn't that a pretty believable scenario for the 49ers star to win MVP?
It's certainly not going to be easy. Bosa is one of the most double-teamed EDGE rushers in the league (26%), and for good reason. The Chiefs are likely going to send double-teams his way and hope for the best. With other terrifying pass rushers in San Francisco, though, there's likely going to be more opportunities for Bosa to go one-on-one with Taylor (who's been a weak link on Kansas City's line). We'll see if Bosa can buck the trend of offensive players winning Super Bowl MVP.
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