Can Kyle Shanahan deliver a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the San Francisco 49ers? Will Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid finally get the one thing that's eluded him, a ring? Which players will seize the spotlight shining on Hard Rock Stadium in Miami? Our analysts provide their predictions for LIV.
Joe Thomas: Kansas City Chiefs 35, San Francisco 49ers 31
Why the Chiefs will win: Patrick Mahomes -- operating one of the best offenses of all time -- will have the ball last in an epic shootout and he will march Kansas City down the field for the go-ahead score.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: The 49ers' defense will allow more than 400 yards of offense.
Judy Battista: Kansas City Chiefs 27, San Francisco 49ers 24
Why the Chiefs will win: The 49ers' great defense can only hold off Patrick Mahomes for so long, leading to Andy Reid finally winning his first Super Bowl.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: The 49ers' defensive front won't be able to get to Mahomes fast enough to prevent him from going downfield.
DeAngelo Hall: San Francisco 49ers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 24
Why the 49ers will win: The49ers' pass rush will be too much for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense. Couple a strong defensive performance with a dominant run game, and the 49ers are poised to control the clock after getting an early lead.
MVP: Jimmy Garoppolo
Bold prediction: The most Patrick Mahomes has been sacked in a game this season is four times. On Sunday, the 49ers' vaunted unit gets to him five times.
Gregg Rosenthal: Kansas City Chiefs 37, San Francisco 49ers 34
Why the Chiefs will win: Kansas City's vertical passing game will get behind the 49ers' defense too often in a game where San Francisco largely controls the clock.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: This time, it's Kyle Shanahan's team that comes back from a 28-3 deficit ... only to give up a game-winning touchdown drive to Mahomes in the end.
Charley Casserly: San Francisco 49ers 28, Kansas City Chiefs 24
Why the 49ers will win: Their front four controls the line of scrimmage, and their up-tempo offense is too much for the Chiefs' D to handle.
MVP:Jimmy Garoppolo
Bold prediction: San Francisco's secondary limits big plays while its D-line handles things up front, limiting Patrick Mahomes to fewer than 250 yards passing.
Ali Bhanpuri: Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 24
Why the Chiefs will win: I have three rules when it comes to selecting winners: 1) Never pick against Brady; 2) Never pick against LeBron; 3) Never pick against Mahomes.
MVP: Travis Kelce
Bold prediction: The Chiefs' defense takes advantage of at least one of the handful of inevitable Garoppolo misfires, giving Mahomes and Co. an extra possession in a critical moment. Jimmy G's underwhelming performance on the sport's biggest stage leads the cap-crunched Niners to cut ties with the 28-year-old passer this offseason, freeing up $22.4 million in valuable space.
Jim Trotter: San Francisco 49ers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 27
Why the 49ers will win: Simple: The 49ers are the more complete team.
MVP: George Kittle
Bold prediction: San Francisco will have as many touchdowns passing as rushing.
David Carr: Kansas City Chiefs 35, San Francisco 49ers 31
Why the Chiefs will win: Andy Reid's offense is so explosive, and the touchdown-to-checkdown approach guarantees the Chiefs will put up plenty of points.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Mahomes doesn't get sacked in the game.
Jeffri Chadiha: Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 27
Why the Chiefs will win: Patrick Mahomes is about to have his Aaron Rodgers moment. As good as the 49ers' defense is, Mahomes won't be stopped in this situation.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Nick Bosa won't have a sack in this game.
Brooke Cersosimo: San Francisco 49ers 42, Kansas City Chiefs 41
Why the 49ers will win: No one has been able to stop Kyle Shanahan's rushing attack, and this game will be no different. For the second straight game, former undrafted free-agent signee Raheem Mostert is the star of the show.
MVP: Raheem Mostert
Bold prediction: Patrick Mahomes throws more interceptions than Jimmy Garoppolo.
Marc Sessler: San Francisco 49ers 36, Kansas City Chiefs 30 (OT)
Why the 49ers will win: While you read this, Kyle Shanahan is tucked away in a Miami-based lair drawing up a fleet of trick plays set to befuddle the Chiefs. Look for the Niners to unfurl three huge gains off trickery during a feverish second-half comeback.
MVP: Deebo Samuel
Bold prediction: Dealt with the cruelest of fates, Patrick Mahomes never sees the field during a white-knuckle overtime period in which the Niners melt eight-plus minutes off the clock before Deebo Samuel ends
Super Bowl LIV with a dazzling circus catch in the back corner of the end zone.
Maurice Jones-Drew: Kansas City Chiefs 42, San Francisco 49ers 38
Why the Chiefs will win: Even a defense as good as the 49ers' unit won't be able to keep up with the speed of the Chiefs' offense.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: The Chiefs out-rush the 49ers' multi-faceted backfield.
Gennaro Filice: Kansas City Chiefs 34, San Francisco 49ers 21
Why the Chiefs will win: What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? In today's NFL, the unstoppable force keeps moving.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: In an aerial assault on San Francisco's top-ranked pass defense, Kansas City's leading receiver is neither Tyreek Hill nor Travis Kelce.
Dan Parr: Kansas City Chiefs 27, San Francisco 49ers 17
Why the Chiefs will win: Patrick Mahomes] is too good, even for a defense as potent as the 49ers'. And I'm not backing off my preseason predictionof Kansas City capturing the Lombardi now.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Jimmy Garoppolo's uninspiring performance will lead to questions, both from outside 49ers] headquarters and within, about whether San Francisco should be in the quarterback market this offseason.
Adam Rank: Kansas City Chiefs 41, San Francisco 49ers 35 (OT)
Why the Chiefs will win:** Obviously the focus will be on Patrick Mahomes and what he will be able to do against this vaunted 49ers defense. But Mahomes hasn't done it alone. Damien Williams has been great with nine scrimmage touchdowns in five playoff games. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hillare one of the best receiving duos in the game. And the Chiefs' defense has played well, too, which is a strange thing to point out, considering I believe this will be a high-scoring affair.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Jimmy Garoppolo throws for more yards than Mahomes.
Nick Shook: San Francisco 49ers 24, Kansas City Chiefs 20
Why the 49ers will win: The Niners take home their first title in 25 years by relying on the run and playing a well-balanced game of keep-away. Kansas City comes close, but there will be no third postseason comeback.
MVP: George Kittle
Bold prediction: Patrick Mahomes fails to break 250 passing yards against the league's No. 1 passing defense. The quarterback will evade rushers, but thanks to San Francisco's victory in time of possession, Mahomes won't get enough chances to exceed a mark he's smashed through in five of his last six games.
James Jones: Kansas City Chiefs 35, San Francisco 49ers 24
Why the Chiefs will win: The Chiefs have the best quarterback in the game throwing it to some of the top players at their respective positions. How could you not roll with this crew?
MVP: Travis Kelce
Bold prediction: Kelce has 200 receiving yards.
Gil Brandt: Kansas City Chiefs 38, San Francisco 49ers 34
Why the Chiefs will win: When two teams are as evenly matched as the Chiefs and 49ers, the quarterback often ends up being the differentiator, so I'm giving the edge toPatrick Mahomes' crew.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Mahomes and Tyreek Hill will connect to set a new record for longest Super Bowl pass play, topping the 85-yard touchdown that Panthers QB Jake Delhomme threw to Muhsin Muhammad in Super Bowl XXXVIII -- and unlike that play, this one will win the game.
Tom Blair: San Francisco 49ers 42, Kansas City Chiefs 41
Why the 49ers will win: Though I actually want to watch the type of game that would seemingly favor the Chiefs, I'm going to stick with my October pick as the surprise winner of a track meet -- courtesy of a monster outing by Jimmy G.
MVP: Jimmy Garoppolo
Bold prediction:Patrick Mahomes and Garoppolo will break the record for combined passing yards in a Super Bowl (874), set by Tom Brady and Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII.
Jeremy Bergman: Kansas City Chiefs 27, San Francisco 49ers 24
Why the Chiefs will win: Unlike San Francisco's NFC opponents, the Chiefs can keep up with (and gain ground on) the run-happy 49ers. Patrick Mahomes and Co. have proven they can take multiple punches in the early goings (SEE: playoff wins over the Texans and Titans) and respond with seismic haymakers. In a back-and-forth tussle, which I anticipate, between two equally able rosters, I trust the reigning MVP in crunch time over Jimmy GQ.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Jimmy Garoppolo is responsible for three turnovers; a fullback scores the night's first touchdown; and on Kansas City's game-winning, legend-cementing drive, Mahomes, in an effort to break the tension, says to his teammates, "Hey, isn't that Eric Stonestreet?"
Willie McGinest: Kansas City Chiefs 34, San Francisco 49ers 21
Why the Chiefs will win: The Chiefs have too much offensive firepower, and like we've witnessed before, Andy Reid will figure out a way to eat up Robert Saleh's unit -- man coverage or zone defense -- to win his first Super Bowl.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Bold prediction: Jimmy Garoppolo throws more picks than TDs.
Brian Baldinger: San Francisco 49ers 28, Kansas City Chiefs 24
Why the 49ers will win: The 49ers are the best-coached team, have played at a high level all year long, and I don't think there are any obstacles or opposition they can't overcome.
MVP: Richard Sherman
Bold prediction: The 49ers put up 200-plus rush yards.
