Fans of the 49ers might not want to hear who NBC Sports fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry is picking to win Super Bowl LVIII, so he’s asking for the Faithful to take it easy on him.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt on Tuesday at Radio Row in Las Vegas, Berry made his case for why he’s picking the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl on Sunday.
“Don’t hate me [49ers fans], I think the Chiefs win," Berry said. "I’m sorry, don’t hate me guys."
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After explaining that the 49ers are an amazing organization that has done a great job building through the NFL draft and from trades, Berry outlined why he thinks Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will be too much for San Francisco to handle.
“So, I would have no problem if I was wrong, but Andy Reid off of a bye in the playoffs in the Mahomes era is 6-1 when he’s had more than one week to prepare for a playoff game," Berry said. 'He’s only lost once and that was to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. I love Brock Purdy but he’s not Tom Brady.
“If you look at the Chiefs’ trajectory: They shut down Miami’s offense, went to Buffalo, shut down Josh Allen and the Bills offense, went to Baltimore, shut down Lamar Jackson. And now they’re playing a Niners team that struggled to contain Jordan Love, struggled to contain Jared Goff at home and now they’re on a neutral field.
“I think it’s a close one, but the Chiefs win this one.”
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While previous trips to the Super Bowl saw the Chiefs relying on Mahomes airing it out to his talented group of receivers, this version of the team has struggled mightily on offense, with numerous dropped passes and poor rout running throughout the 2023 NFL season.
Instead, Kansas City has relied on an elite defense, with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shutting down some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks during the playoffs.
While much has been made about the Purdy vs. Mahomes matchup, one of the deciding factors in the game will be on the defensive side of the ball for the 49ers, who have struggled in the playoffs, particularly against the run. This was apparent during the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, where San Francisco gave up a whopping 182 rushing yards.
San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has vowed to make corrections for the Super Bowl but given the offensive wizardry of Mahomes, along with explosive running back Isiah Pacheco, the 49ers will have their work cut out for them.
The 49ers are looking to avenge their Super Bowl LIV loss to Mahomes and the Chiefs, a game in which San Francisco was up by double digits in the fourth quarter only to falter as Kansas City reeled off 21 unanswered points to win 31-20.