After defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship two weeks ago, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to their second straight Super Bowl to face the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. The Chiefs defense combined with 2022 NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ undeniable talent will lead them to their fourth Super Bowl title. 

While the Chiefs have consistently beaten teams defensively, the 49ers have given up 52 total points this year in the playoffs, 21 to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, and 31 to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship. As the old saying goes, ‘Defense wins championships.’

The Chiefs had a very inconsistent regular season, including losses to the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, but have proven their worth during the playoffs. They defeated an offensively-dominant Miami Dolphins team on a sub-zero night in Kansas City, holding Miami to only 7 points. 

Their next two playoff games were much closer battles. 2022 NFL MVP and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led them to victory against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 win that sent them to the AFC Championship game, and gave him a 14-3 career playoff record. 

This season, although he continued to put up spectacular numbers, was an off year for Mahomes. The former first round draft pick threw for 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns, which are not as nearly as notable as his 5,250 yards and 47 touchdowns from a year ago. In addition, his QBR dropped from 105.2 last season to 92.6.  

Despite the drop in numbers, Mahomes led the Chiefs to their 10th straight playoff appearance, finishing 11-6 this year and locking up the 3 seed in the AFC conference. His primary target, tight end Travis Kelce, had another incredible season. Kelce finished second in receiving yards amongst tight ends with 984, only 36 behind 49ers tight end George Kittle. In the AFC Championship game, Kelce broke hall of famer Jerry Rice’s career playoff receptions record, and now has 156 playoff receptions going into Super Bowl LVIII.

Kelce caught the lone receiving touchdown for the Chiefs in their 17-10 win over the Ravens, finishing the game with 116 yards on 11 receptions. Even with Kelce breaking Rice’s record, the Kansas City defense was the biggest story of the day, holding a Ravens offense that averaged 27.7 points per game to only 10, and managed to sack Lamar Jackson 4 times. 

Defensive linemen Chris Jones and George Karlaftis were major contributors to the Chiefs defensive success this season, ending the regular season with 10.5 sacks each. Karlaftis has had 2.5 sacks this postseason, while Jones has had 2. 

Their offensive talent and defensive dominance has led the Chiefs back to their sixth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The last time Mahomes faced the 49ers was in his first Super Bowl appearance in 2020, where he led the Chiefs to a 31-20 victory, winning Kansas City’s first Super Bowl since 1970. 

Going into Sunday, the Chiefs lead the 49ers in most defensive statistics. They allowed 4,926 total yards to the 49ers 5,167. In addition, the Chiefs defense has been one of the least penalized teams in the NFL, with only 73 defensive penalties to the 49ers 94 penalties. 49ers running back Christian McCaffery, who led the NFL in rushing yards this season, will have to face a Chiefs defense that only allowed 10 rushing touchdowns this year.

The Chiefs may be facing a different quarterback this time around, but it will not matter. Defense always wins championships.