The Super Bowl is just days away with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers set to face off in Las Vegas on Sunday evening. The Chiefs are slight underdogs in the game despite having much more postseason success than the 49ers in recent years.
“I don’t want to just make this thing so simple in this analysis but how in the world after what we’ve watched over the past seven years do you go against Patrick Mahomes, Steve Spagnuolo for most of it, and Andy Reid?” Baldinger said (50:25 in player above). “How do you go against it right now?”
The Chiefs are looking to become the first team in 20 years to win two straight Super Bowls after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 last year. This will be their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five seasons and a rematch of the Chiefs’ 31-20 win over the 49ers back in 2020.
“You know the game plan is going to be solid,” Baldinger continued. “They generally don’t beat themselves. Spags is going to make you play lefthanded at times. And then, look, there is this feeling that Kyle (Shanahan) in a big spot might not look like Kyle in Week 8. He might get a little tight. And he’s got this young quarterback.”
Shanahan is in his seventh season as San Francisco’s head coach. He’s reached the NFC Championship Game in each of the past two seasons before breaking through this year, only to face the Chiefs once again.
While Baldinger can’t pick against the Chiefs, he did have high praise for how Shanahan and the 49ers have built their team.
“Look, Kyle can break through. It took Bill Cowher 15 years to break through. He’s here. He’s here for a reason. He was on the doorstep last year for a reason. They’re very, very good,” he said. “And look, you look at the way that they structure their star players’ contracts.
“Trent Williams, Deebo, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa. If you’re down on the field for a 49ers game you’re like ‘This look likes Hollywood.’ There are stars everywhere… They’re all at the top of the food chain at their respective positions’ pay structure. I don’t know how they do it all but they do it. That’s how this team’s built, they’re built upon their stars. And when their stars show up and shine they generally win, regardless of what the game is.”
Despite the 49ers’ star power, Baldinger is going with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
“I got the Chiefs by a field goal. That’s what it looks like,” he predicted. “It might be Harrison Butker at the end to win it. 27-24, that’s where I’m going with this.”