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Bold Predictions for Super Bowl LIV

Which quarterback will throw for more yards? Will Pitbull show up? Will Andy Reid coach in a Hawaiian shirt? Some bold predictions ahead of the Super Bowl.

There’s just a few more days until the Chiefs and the 49ers kick off from Miami. The MMQB staff has made picks for winner, score and MVP, so all that’s left is some BOLD predictions.

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ALBERT BREER: 49ers DE Nick Bosa will have multiple sacks and be a menace in general for the Chiefs to deal with, and challenge Garoppolo for MVP honors in the stadium his dad once called home. There’s thinking out there that Patrick Mahomes will be able to use the Niners’ aggression up front against them, and I think that’ll be true to a degree. But Bosa’s the one of the team’s pass-rushers athletic, technically-sound and well-rounded enough to create heat while playing a disciplined game, and that’ll be a problem for Kansas City in scramble situations where Mahomes is at his best.

ANDREW BRANDT: The presumptive MVP of the game—Patrick Mahomes—will, for him, struggle. He will find himself boxed in by a ferocious rush and not be able to pounce on the 49ers with his extraordinary talent and weapons. His frustration will be a story line to the game. Also, I see a breakout player in this game as someone who was a complete non-factor in the NFC Championship: Emanuel Sanders. Sanders will show why the 49ers gave up precious draft resources to grab him at the trade deadline. Stay tuned.

BETTE MARSTON: The 49ers will have a successful onside kick late in the game—but Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which has been inconsistent this season, will come up with the late stop to seal the victory for Andy Reid and the Chiefs.

CHARLOTTE WILDER: Andy Reid coaches in a Hawaiian shirt. The people want what the people want—there’s even a change.org petition to get the head coach to dress tropically in Miami—and I’m hoping that Reid delivers. Why? Because his floral button-downs have become so iconic and such a rallying cry for the team, that it would be a shame if the Chiefs had to wait another 50 years to be in a Super Bowl and Reid didn’t take advantage of this opportunity when he could. Team chemistry and the intangibles of the game—morale, drive, fun —matter as much as the fundamentals (I said it!) and I can’t think of a better way for Reid to inspire his team than to inject a little aloha onto the sidelines.

CONOR ORR: Jimmy Garoppolo will throw for more than 350 yards. With all the focus on San Francisco's run game, Kansas City may dare the 49ers quarterback to beat them with his arm. And beat them with his arm he will.

GARY GRAMLING: Pitbull doesn't show up for the halftime show, but he does show up to hold placekicks for Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker.

GREG BISHOP: Garoppolo throws for more than 250 yards. We already know that San Francisco can run the ball. We already know that the 49ers can control the clock. Thing is, we already know that Jimmy G can sling it, too. Just go back and check that New Orleans tape. He beat one of the best teams in the NFL, on the road, in a game rife with playoff implications, and he did that throwing 35 times, while the 49ers put up 48 points. I think the Chiefs sell out to stop the run, and Garoppolo makes them—enough, anyway, to win the game.

JENNY VRENTAS: The Chiefs record more sacks than the 49ers.

KALYN KAHLER: Mahomes, who has averaged 287.9 passing yards per game this season, will throw for 150 yards or fewer in the Super Bowl. This might seem like a boring prediction, but it suggests that Mahomes can be slowed down, and I think the 49ers defense is the one to do it.

MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Tyreek Hill will have a huge game, but Mahomes will win MVP, spawning a conspiracy theory that the NFL rigged the vote to keep the scandal-plagued Hill from winning MVP. It will be a completely unfounded theory, of course, but it will outlive all of us.

MITCH GOLDICH: Andy Reid will obviously be a big story if the Chiefs win the game, and I think they’ll win the Super Bowl because of him, not in spite of him. I know people like to complain about his game management, but I think most people have now woken up to the fact that he’s a better coach than his reputation might indicate. He’s been such a successful coach throughout his career, and there’s a reason his teams are always in the hunt.

Reid will not only be a story simply for winning the game, I think he’s going to put a stamp on it. I think we’re going to see a trick play or a tactical decision from the mind of Andy Reid dominate conversation on Monday. Early in his career he was great about this: Surprise onside kicks (which don’t work in the NFL anymore), gadget plays, fake punts and more. Whether it’s a gutsy fourth down conversion (or two), or a trick play like his protégé Doug Pederson’s Philly Special, expect something bold from Reid to pay off.

Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.

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