Miami, FL: It’s hard to talk about anything in sports besides the Kobe tragedy, but that’s the last thing I want to talk about. Way too much for me to unpack. I don’t give him a pass for the incident in Colarado, but the clips of Kobe and Gianna were gut wrenching. Isn’t there a football game on Sunday? Let’s talk about that.
Before we start, let’s take a look at my championship game predictions:
We’re headed for a Niners Chiefs Super Bowl folks.
I think the Titans have a shot, but if the Chiefs can get their big interior run stuffing lineman Chris Jones back, I think they’ll slow down Henry enough. Scoring points will not be an issue.
In the NFC, I think the Pack is headed for another rough one in Cali. I just don’t think they have an answer for the D-front of the Niners.
I know I didn’t really go out on any huge limbs there, but I nailed it. Ball control is great, but when your opponent calmly responds with a 3-play TD, it makes you panic a little. And I think the Titans panicked a little. They abandoned the run just a tad early. If it were me, Derrick Henry would have touched it more than a pimply teen.
For example, the Chiefs went up 28 to 17 early in the second half. The Titans needed to stop the bleeding right there. Run it down the Chiefs throats, get a score, and get in position for a fourth quarter win. There was plenty of time. But instead they threw four straight passes and punted. The Chiefs scored again and the fat red man was singing.
Out west the Niners ran the Pack into the dirt. Aaron Rodgers after the game said “I think we just need a little bit more of a consistent performance.” He had a few pauses in there where I’m sure his inner voice was screaming:
“If we could just stop the freakin’ run! 8 passes are you f’n kidding me? Remember after our big Monday night win early in the season I gloated that ‘we have a defense’ now? Well, the joke is on me! We just made some guy who got cut seven times look like Barry F’n Sanders.”
Henry was a beast, but the Chiefs have an even tougher running game to stop. Instead of one behemoth back, it’s scheme and misdirection. They rotate their backs and even give Deebo some carries.
The Niners defense should put up more resistance than the Titans did. But still, the Chiefs will score. Andy Reid has a giant walrus on his back. Is he up for the challenge? I’m not sure. Shanahan has to redeem himself for The Collapse. This is a really interesting match-up.
Generally, the team with the defense and running game wins out over the flashy offense in the Super Bowl. But the Niners have shown they can win in a lot of ways. They like to run it but they have thrown it when needed.
Take the Niners and the over. Tease it. Thank me later. Follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
