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Two effective yet distinctive offenses have the potential to make everyone forget about last year’s defensive Super Bowl slugfest when the Chiefs and 49ers meet in Miami to determine the NFL’s champion for the 2019 season.

How to Watch:

When: Sunday, Feb. 2

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Live Stream: fuboTV (

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The 49ers (15-3) have a chance to join the Patriots and Steelers with six Super Bowl victories, making their first appearance since losing to the Ravens seven years ago. The NFC West champions have been completely retooled since that loss, hitting their stride this season under third-year head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan, still remembered for being the offensive coordinator for an Atlanta Falcons team that blew a 28-3 third quarter lead to the Patriots three years ago in Super Bowl LI, won just 10 games in his first two seasons in the Bay Area. However, he and general manager John Lynch rebuilt a team that went 2-14 prior to their arrival. One key component of the turnaround was the 2017 midseason acquisition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots.

Out from the long shadow cast by Tom Brady, Garoppolo showed plenty of promise by winning his first five starts in 2017, but had his 2018 season cut short by a torn ACL suffered against the in Week 3. Finally fully healthy and bolstered by slew of running backs, Garoppolo came into his own this season and threw for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Garoppolo had three games in which he threw for at least 300 yards and four touchdown passes. While many consider him more of a game manager compared to his counterpart Patrick Mahomes, Garoppolo showed he learned a thing or two about clutch play while serving as Brady’s understudy. In the fourth quarter during the regular season, Garoppolo had a 107.1 passer rating, throwing for 816 yards and six TDs, while completing 70.1 percent of his passes.

His favorite target is tight end George Kittle, a nightmare matchup for any defense. Kittle topped 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season, finishing with 1,053 to go with a team-high 85 catches, and is a big-play threat anytime he rumbles across the middle of the field. Kittle is also an exceptional blocker, helping contribute to a ground game that finished second in the league with 144.1 yards per game.

Joining Kittle in the aerial attack is midseason acquisition and veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and rookie Deebo Samuel. Sanders arrived from Denver and provided a legitimate No. 1 target for Garoppolo and totaled 36 catches for 502 yards in 10 games. He also brings Super Bowl experience, having been on the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers, while totaling 16 receptions for 230 yards that postseason.

Samuel, the team’s second round pick, had 57 grabs for 802 yards and has been used with increasing regularity by Shanahan on jet sweeps to stretch opposing defenses. Samuel had 14 carries for 159 yards and three TDs in the regular season and had another 49 yards on three rushes in the 49ers’ two playoff wins.

San Francisco does not have a true No. 1 running back, wearing down opponents with Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. The trio accounted for 1,889 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season, while averaging 4.76 yards per carry. In the postseason, Coleman took center stage with a 105-yard effort in the divisional round and after he hurt his shoulder, Mostert delivered the best running performance in San Francisco’s storied playoff history, churning out 220 yards and four touchdowns to power the 49ers past the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game.

Coleman’s status for this game has yet to be determined, but he said earlier this week he was spending “all my time” getting treatment to have full range of motion. San Francisco ranked second in the league in scoring at 29.9 points per game and total touchdowns with 56.

In contrast to San Francisco’s physical style, Kansas City’s first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years comes on the strength of a fast-paced, pass-happy offense directed by Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP. Head coach Andy Reid’s creative schemes has turned Mahomes into a superstar in just his second full season as a starter.

Mahomes, who missed two games during the season with a knee injury, did not match his lofty 2018 numbers that included 50 touchdown passes, but he was plenty effective all the same with 4,031 yards and 26 scoring tosses. He also cut down on his interceptions, going from 12 to five, while throwing only 96 fewer passes than last season. Mahomes is also capable of extending plays with his legs, evidenced by his 106 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 postseason scrambles in the AFC title game against Tennessee. That gave the Chiefs the lead for good, as they scored 28 straight points to erase a 10-point deficit en route to their 35-24 victory.

Like Garoppolo, Mahomes has one of the league’s best tight ends in Travis Kelce, a dynamic receiver whose pass-catching ability prevents opponents from being able to double cover the Chiefs’ speedy receivers. Kelce notched his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, finishing with 97 receptions for 1,229 yards before having a three touchdown performance in the divisional round against Houston when he caught 10 passes for 134 yards.

While the 49ers have three running backs, the Chiefs counter with three standout receivers in Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman. Hill, one of the fastest players in the NFL, totaled 58 catches for 860 yards and seven TDs despite missing four games with a collarbone injury, while Watkins chipped in 52 catches for 673 yards. Hardman, who went 20 picks after Samuel in the second round, emerged as a viable deep threat with six touchdowns, while averaging 20.7 yards on his 26 receptions.

Kansas City’s primary running back is Damien Williams, but the bigger question is if Reid has a role for veteran LeSean McCoy, who is still a threat to catch passes out of the backfield. McCoy, who helped get Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX, was not on the active roster for the AFC title game, but did have 465 rushing yards and caught 28 passes for 181 yards.

If there is one area the 49ers have a decided advantage, it is on the defensive line. San Francisco finished tied for fifth in the league with 48 sacks, with tackle Arik Armstead leading the way with 10 and rookie end Nick Bosa contributing nine. Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, has added another three takedowns in San Francisco’s two playoff wins while also totaling 10 tackles.

The 49ers secondary will be in for arguably its toughest challenge of the season given the quality of the Chiefs’ receivers and how Reid uses them in his passing schemes. Cornerback Richard Sherman is still one of the league’s best, but his preferred method of staying on one half of the field in coverage may result in Kansas City isolating him the way he can lock down an opposing receiver in negating fashion.

The biggest differences in San Francisco’s defense this season were its increased sack total and ability to force turnovers. After generating an NFL-worst seven takeaways in 2018, the 49ers recorded 27 this season, climbing all the way to sixth in that category.

Kansas City’s defense has been suspect at times this season, but it also delivered when needed by slowing down Tennessee running back Derrick Henry in the conference title game and limiting him to 69 yards. The Chiefs ranked seventh in the NFL in scoring defense, yielding 19.3 points per game, just ahead of the 49ers (19.4).