Super Bowl LIV Preview: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

*This post was already pre-written and was initially supposed to be posted on Sunday. But due to the sudden, tragic death of Kobe Bryant, daughter Gigi, and the 7 other victims who were on board the deadly helicopter crash, the posting of this was delayed. As I continue to mourn with fellow Laker fans and the rest of the sports world, we will try to rebound and move forward. This post shall be the first step in the healing process.*




*Some NSFW language*

Ahhhh, the New England Patriots are not featured in this matchup. No boring, predictable Super Bowl outcomes. This year should be interesting...but they feature the two teams that Raider Nation hates all too well: a bitter AFC West rival and an ex-geographical rival. Whoever wins this, it will leave a sour taste in our mouths. This is your Super Bowl LIV preview between the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Let's see how these two teams matchup.

San Francisco 49ers

Before the 2019 season started, nobody expected the 49ers to do anything special. Most expected this team to finish 3-13 and in last place in the NFC West. And they were a great unknown. Jimmy Garoppolo was coming off an ACL tear, which hindered his significant progress as a franchise quarterback and the "buying in" to Kyle Shanahan's system. There were so many moving parts with this team and nobody took them seriously as contender. Even when they had the top pick to land Nick Bosa, everybody expected the 49ers to make some strides as a rebuilding team, not as contender.

When the season started, all that rebuilding talk went out the window. As the season progressed, the 49ers acquired their team identity. They were a team that was built to run the football to set up play action on offense and had a defense that can get after the quarterback and capitalize in turnovers. Their heavy run game is headed by a three-headed monster in Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, and Matt Brieda. Though by season's end it became a 1-2 punch with Coleman and Mostert. Outside of that, the 49ers do have some decent weapons for the passing game. George Kittle followed up from his breakout year last season and emerged as one of the best Tight Ends in the game. Deebo Samuel emerged as a big play receiver and John Lynch was able to give the receiving unit more help with the acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders. On defense, Robert Saleh did an outstanding job coordinating this unit as one of the best in the league, harkening back to their vaunted front seven in early part of the previous decade. They have a good blend of youth and experience on that unit. They have Nick Bosa, who's as advertised as a pass rusher coming out of the draft as well as Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner, and Arik Armstead to shore up that D-line. Kwon Alexander, Tre Greenlaw, and Fred Warner make up a solid linebacker corps. And of course, they have Richard Sherman patrolling the secondary.

Despite the 49ers starting out hot with a perfect 8-0 record, there was still some skepticism on whether or not this team was a contender. And yes, they had an easy schedule to start against teams that are .500 or worst. The 49ers were winning games, but are they for real? That was the question everyone's asking. Well, they proved that in the toughest part of their stretch, destroying Green Bay at home and piling up with gutsy road wins in New Orleans and Seattle to secure the NFC West and the number 1 seed in the NFC. From there, it was easy pickings against Minnesota in the divisional round and Green Bay again in the NFC Championship, two fringe teams in the NFC North.

Kansas City Chiefs

Unlike the 49ers, we expected the Chiefs to bounce back after a tough loss in last year's AFC Championship game against the Patriots. No one can deny that Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback of the next generation after an MVP season last year. As the Raiders face them twice every year, we pretty much know what this team is capable of. They got weapons: an elite Tight End in Travis Kelce and a whole lot of speed on the receiving corps consisting of Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson. This allows Mahomes to sling the ball at will and he's also backed by a decent running game headed by Damien Williams (if only Kareem Hunt didn't f*ck himself).

The Chiefs, as expected jumped out of the gate with a 4-0 start to the season. Then, things started taking a nose dive just a little bit. If you look back at that Sunday Night game against Indianapolis, Mahomes tweaked something in his knee. He was clearly hobbled the next two games and then on the Thursday Night game against Denver, that knee injury gave way on a QB sneak. And you know, Kansas City's offense carries the heavy load since their defense is a very liable unit. Funny enough, since Mahomes went out, the defense stepped up their game for a bit. Speaking of defense, they made some major changes from last year. Out goes Bob Sutton, in comes Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator. They added Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu to shore up the unit. Yet, they still had some problems, particularly in the run defense. For the time Mahomes was out, the Chiefs were 1-1 with journeyman backup, Matt Moore filling in while he was out.

Since Mahomes returned in Week 10 that's when things started to right the ship for them. They were able to regain control of the AFC West en route to the number 2 seed. Don't get me started with the Week 13 matchup the Raiders had with them. That was a joke of a pivotal matchup for the AFC West title. The race for that number 2 seed, the stars aligned for the Chiefs. It started with their big win in Foxborough where they exacted revenge against the Pats. Then, they got major help from the Dolphins in Week 17 to secure that bye. We can argue they too faced some pretty fringe teams in the AFC South in the Texans and Titans. But Houston put them in a 24-0 deficit before Mahomes and co went bonkers in the 2nd quarter in the divisional round and in the championship game, they faced a Titans team that knocked off the Patriots and Ravens. By the way, they lost to the same two teams in the regular season prior and they exacted some revenge when it mattered the most. While the offense was fine-tuned, their defense turned it up this postseason, particularly in stuffing the run, holding the opposition's rushing attack to under 100 yards, and Spagnuolo calling more blitzes on third down.

Matchups

This Super Bowl is going to present a pretty interesting matchup. For both teams, this might be their toughest test. The 49ers have had their share of going up against mobile quarterbacks this season. That could present a valuable advantage. If there's any vulnerability in the 49ers defense is that their secondary has some unknowns outside of Richard Sherman and are masked by a ferocious front seven. The Chiefs have a lot of "speed demons" in the receiving corps and they'll likely exploit that as long as Patrick Mahomes is mobile and is able to extend plays. The key for the 49ers is that they have to get to Mahomes quickly and contain his running lanes once he gets out of the pocket. The Chiefs' run defense has gotten better as of late. They held Derrick Henry to under 100 yards in the championship game, but they will face a tough test against the 49ers' RBBC (running back by committee) approach. Raheem Mostert has emerged as a stud and of course Tevin Coleman is more than capable as a weapon in the backfield. If the Chiefs' contain the rushing attack, it'll put a lot of pressure on Garoppolo to win the game for the 49ers. But, Jimmy G showed he's more than capable. He just has to play mistake free and know when Spagnuolo and the Chiefs defense will blitz on third and long situations.

Prediction

Regardless of this outcome, I'm going to hate seeing red as a Raiders fan after next Sunday. Between the two teams, the 49ers have a more balanced roster with a potent rushing attack and a stout defense. There's no arguing that. However, they're in for a daunting task of containing Patrick Mahomes and that well-oiled Chiefs offense. They have too many weapons on offense. You double cover Hill, that leaves Watkins, Hardman, and Robinson open. Plus Kelce is a nightmare to cover over the middle. Their defense is better as of late. If there's anyone who deserves to hoist a Lombardi, it's gotta be Andy Reid. He already has a HOF resume as a coach, but years of early playoff exits hindered some of that legacy. I think he finally gets this one and helps end KC's 50-year drought of a Super Bowl win.

SF 23 KC 38

*The delayed Season in Review post for the 2019 Raiders will be posted prior to the Super Bowl. Sorry for the wait!*

Mamba 4 Ever!

There will be no Weekly Roundup this week and the Super Bowl preview will be delayed. This post will be all over the place. So bear with me. Laker Nation, the NBA, and all of the sports world, we are all in shock today. The news heard all around the world: Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven other people are dead after a helicopter crash this morning.

I can't believe that this is true. It's surreal to hear this. I can't even process this. If you were a Laker fan growing up in the 2000s like I was, you know from the back of your mind how much Kobe impacted the game. He was the reason why I became a Laker fan the first place. The memories are endless from the three peat with Shaq. The back-to-back titles with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. The individual accomplishments: 81 points, 62 points in 3 quarters, MVP in 2008, back to back Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010, 60 points in his final game. The list goes on and on. 

What made Kobe so special was his will to win and his relentless work ethic. The "Mamba Mentality." It's that mentality to be the best, better yourself each and every day, work hard, and stay locked in at the ultimate prize. If you go down, get back up, dust yourself off, and press on. And Kobe exemplified that persona. As a Laker fan, I've seen him play through many injuries whether it was an injured index finger or a torn achilles. He still pressed on and willed the Lakers to wins time after time.

It's so sad and tragic that he had a life ahead of him after basketball. He started a business. He won an Oscar for "Dear Basketball." He had so many projects in the works after that. He coached his daughter Gigi. It's sick that even Gigi was among the deceased as well. Just terrible news all around. I can't even think what's going through the family right now with Vanessa, Natalia, they just had a newborn daughter. I feel so sorry for them.

It'll be hard to process this for the next couple of days. As Laker fans, we've said this from time to time, the day Kobe dies will be a depressing day. We just didn't expect it to happen so sudden. We will miss you Kobe. But your legacy, your Mamba Mentality, 8 and 24, they will all live on in our hearts. Mamba out. Rest easy. 

Lakers Weekly Roundup #11: No AD, no Problem

Lakers open up 2020 with a hot start. The first three victories to open the year may be sluggish, but they did a good job in the next three. This week presents some favorable matchups and the team begins to embark on the long Grammy road trip. AD or not, they've shown they're capable. Let's see how they fare this week.

1/13: vs. Cleveland 99-128 [W] (33-7)

This game reminded me of that Denzel Washington meme where he hold onto his chest and laughs. I forgot what movie that was. Because it certainly looked like the Cavs were going to pull off the upset with the way that first half went sans Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo. Kevin Love went off to a hot start from what I heard. Haven't seen that since he put up numbers on mediocre Timberwolves squads. But, the Lakers turned on the jets in the 2nd half, putting Cleveland's false hopes to rest. LeBron James, down with the sickness and all, dropped 31 points on his former team. He also surpassed Isiah Thomas at number 8 all time in the assists category. Dwight Howard returned to form for this game, putting up 21 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. If there's anything this stretch indicates, the Laker role players are finding ways to step up without being in full strength. It's an encouraging sign. Now, imagine this kind of performance with this Lakers roster at 100%.

1/15: vs. Orlando 119-118 [L] (33-8)

And boom goes the undefeated streak against sub .500 teams. The Magic always find ways to have the Lakers' number at Staples. From the first half, things were looking pretty ugly. But, the Lakers managed to find their way back into the game with unsung performances from Quinn Cook and Troy Daniels. Both players stepped up and rain threes to bring the Lakers back. Then, Markelle Fultz took the game over with a triple-double of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Whenever the Lakers had an answer, Fultz finds a way to respond with a big bucket for Orlando. You know else's the problem? Kyle Kuzma drawing iron all game long finishing with 4 points, going 2-10 from the field. Or LeBron being passive-aggressive this game with 19 points and 19 assists. He had the chance for the game-tying three and of course, it rimmed out.

1/18: @ Houston 124-115 [W] (34-8)

ESPN/ABC rolls out Saturday Prime Time NBA action for the first time this season. The Lakers begin their road trip against the high-octane offense of the Houston Rockets and the duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Once again, no AD this game, but they can take advantage of a slumping Rockets team on a 2-game skid. When you're coached by Mike D'Antoni, his philosophy is simple: 100% offense, 0% defense. Houston started out hot in the first half. But when the Lakers put the clamps on in the 2nd half, the Rockets' holes begin to rip open. After conservative play against the Magic, the Lakers took no prisoners in the 2nd half. Kyle Kuzma breaks off the rust with 23 points. LeBron was more aggressive this game. Danny Green went off for 20 points plus 4 steals. And KCP lead the 2nd unit with 20 points. We can live with Westbrook and Harden combining for 69 points this game. As long as the rest of the Rockets' unit don't show up, that how teams beat them. And the Lakers certainly did a good job holding the rest of the supporting cast in check.

Lakers Weekly Roundup #10: Hot Start 2020

First Week: 

1/1: vs. Phoenix 107-117 [W] (27-7)
1/3: vs. New Orleans 113-123 [W] (28-7)
1/5: vs. Detroit 99-106 [W] (29-7)

Second Week:

1/7: vs. New York 87-117 [W] (30-7)
1/10: @ Dallas 129-114 [W] (31-7)
1/11: @ Oklahoma City 125-110 [W] (32-7)

Oh my goodness, I have a lot of games to cover after pushing this for awhile now. I apologize for that. I am currently busy with some things. But first and foremost, belated Happy New Year to Laker Nation. I hope you all are off to a good start to 2020 as the Lakers are off to a good start this year. The LakeShow still managed to end 2019 on a high note despite a 5-game losing streak with wins over Portland and Dallas as recapped in Roundup #9. And they're carrying that over by going 6-0 so far, ringing in the New Year.

I watched highlights and most of the portions of the games of the Lakers' first two weeks and January and I figured for this week, I might as well condense these games instead of providing my quick thoughts on each individual game (thanks lazy me).

If we compare, the first week was a week of "unsatisfactory wins." The Lakers had three games against sub .500 teams. If we go back to that Phoenix game on NYD, that game should've been a wire-to-wire blowout. They outscored the Suns 17-43 in the first quarter, putting 74 total points at the half. They should put their foot on the gas and let LeBron and AD rest throughout the 4th. But nope, they let them back in the game before regaining control in the 4th. The same can be said for the games against the Pelicans and Pistons.

Against the Pelicans, it was a homecoming for Zo, B.I., and Josh Hart. There's no denying that they're good young players. They were just put in a bad situation on a team that expects championships out of the gate. Still, it was worth the trade for prime AD. AD burned the Pelicans again with 46 points. Danny Green went off for 25 points going 6-10 from deep. Still, LeBron and AD are not sitting out until about 1 minute left in the 4th when the game is well out of reach. Against the Pistons, the finish of the game had trap game written all over it. Detroit is lifeless team, yet Derrick Rose returned to MVP form with 28 points and almost singlehandedly carried the Pistons to victory. But, the Lakers prevailed with a block party hosted by Davis (8 blocks), JaVale McGee (6 blocks), and Dwight Howard (5 blocks). I should point out KCP and Avery Bradley sustained injuries this game, which explains the lack of production in the back court with the exception of 13 points from Caruso.

The 2nd week was a lot better. I won't go too deep into the Knicks game because honestly, the Knicks are a dumpster fire. It was embarrassing they swept the Lakers last season. But, the tables have turned this time around. The only notable story that game was AD's scary fall while he was going up for a dunk. Luckily, X-Rays came out negative and he's going to miss a few games with a bruised tailbone barring any setback. The back-to-back wins against Dallas and OKC were most impressive as they continued their dominance on the road. The Lakers took the season series against the Mavs. LeBron James went beast mode as a scorer and rebounder with 35 points,  16 rebounds, and 7 assists sans Anthony Davis. We tend to forget that LeBron can literally play all 5 positions. JaVale and Dwight were in foul trouble this game and that freed up the idea to play 'Bron at Center. Meanwhile, the defense did a good job keeping Luka in check for the first half. He made a meme out of himself, ripping part of his jersey off. The thing about the Mavericks is they live and die by the three and getting Doncic going is the key to that. Once he struggles, their offense fizzles out and that was the case on Friday. Yes, they didn't have Porzingis, but the Lakers didn't have AD. So that cancels out.

Against OKC, no 'Bron. No AD. No problem. Before this game, the Thunder have become the biggest surprise in this stretch of the season winning seven of their eight games and in the 7th seed in the West. This is all because Chris Paul has found the fountain of youth with his scoring and playmaking and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a scorer during for OKC. This game was expected to be tough for the Lakers without their top two stars. That's until Kyle Kuzma re-introduced himself. He must've heard the trade rumors for Bogdan Bogdanovic from Sacramento as he poured 36 points on the Thunder. However, this was a great team effort win. Rondo stepped up with a near triple-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. The bench had solid contributions from Quinn Cook (13 points), Dwight Howard (12 points), Troy Daniels (12 points), and Alex Caruso (11 points). You think the Lakers lack depth? Hold Rob Pelinka's contract extension and promotion to VP of Basketball Operations.