How the Coronavirus will affect the Sporting World

By: Adamo Marinelli

March 12th, 2020

With each passing day, the spread of the coronavirus - medically referred to as Covid-19 - worsens as the disease infects more people in several countries all over the world. 

     In the sports world, Covid-19 continues to affect many leagues in fear of rapid transmission of the disease. 

     Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert showed symptoms of the Coronavirus yesterday evening, which caused the game between the Jazz and the Thunder to be postponed. Players on both teams were quarantined in the arena. 

     Shortly after, NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to suspend the rest of the 2019-20 season indefinitely to avoid infecting more players. “The NBA will use the hiatus to determine the next steps moving forward,” a statement from the league read.

     In addition, the NCAA March Madness tournaments for both men and women will supposedly play with no fans in the stands. They will just have essential team staff and media personnel in attendance. However, due to multiple NCAA tournaments such as the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, and WAC being canceled due to fear of Covid-19, it is speculated that the March Madness tournament for both men and women will be canceled due to the virus. Update: At 4:28 pm Eastern Time, ESPN announced that the 2020 March Madness tournament would be canceled for both men and women. All other tournaments leading up to March Madness will also be canceled.

     The MLS has also suspended its season for at least 30 days amidst fears of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to multiple reports by ESPN. 

     In international soccer, La Liga has also been suspended for at least two weeks due to fear of the disease and players and staff on Real Madrid are all in quarantine at their training complex due to the coronavirus. Multiple international friendlies have also been canceled, including between Italy and Spain. 

     The NHL’s board of directors and player safety organization will meet later today to discuss the future of its season. Many teams like the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets among others are already planning on playing games with no fans in the stands due to state regulations, but after the NBA decided to suspend its season indefinitely, the NHL might follow suit. All morning skates and practices have been canceled this morning in advance of the decision. Update: At 1:31 pm Eastern Time, the league made the decision to suspend the remainder of the NHL season because of Covid-19.

     Furthermore, the MLB has canceled its Spring Training practices and games happening in the Grapefruit League, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB network. The Blue Jays are one of 15 teams to be affected by this move. Update: At 3:10 pm Eastern time, the MLB announced that Opening day and the regular season will be pushed back for at least 2 weeks as well.

Update: Finally, according to the Score, the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament could be pushed back to 2021. Delaying the tournament a year is the main option being explored by club executives. It would not be good to have so much traveling all over Europe amidst a crisis of this magnitude.

     As the virus continues to spread, the sporting world will need to continue to take the necessary precautions to keep all the players and staff safe. Donovan Mitchell, a teammate of Rudy Gobert has also tested positive for the virus. He is the only other teammate as of now on the Jazz that has shown symptoms. However, all teams that have played the Jazz in the last 10 days - the Raptors, Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, and Cavaliers - have all been told to self-quarantine while awaiting test results. Our prayers are with all the athletes and everyone affected by the disease.

-----

Updates to follow as the story continues to develop.

A Wild NHL Trade Deadline

By: Adamo Marinelli

March 2nd, 2020

     On February 24th, general managers across the NHL ended their frantic search to improve their rosters before embarking on a journey to contend for the Stanley Cup or to prepare and improve for the future. 

     There were 32 trades on deadline day this year, and 86 players, prospects, and picks were traded to different teams. 

     There were some huge deals that saw big players move and there were some clear winners and losers of the deadline. Let’s take a look at who won and lost. 

     I have selected three winners for the trade deadline. They are as follows.

     The Carolina Hurricanes went all in and improved drastically on both offense and defense. They solidified their forward depth by adding Vincent Trocheck, a 25-30 goal scorer who can move the puck through the neutral zone and set up plays. They also acquired two excellent defensemen to solidify their blue line. Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei, are both physical defenders who create turnovers, move the puck well and contribute to the offensive attack. It cost them 6 players and two draft picks - one of those is a first-round pick - but they are sending a clear message to the rest of the league. After making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, they have their sights set on contending for a Stanley Cup this season. 

     The Ottawa Senators sold, sold and sold some more. Given their situation and their need for more picks in the rebuild, receiving picks by selling players that they wouldn’t get any return on when they moved on in free agency is the perfect situation. They traded Dylan Demelo to the Jets for a 2020 3rd round pick, Vladislav Namestnikov to the Avalanche for a 2021 4th round pick, Jean Gabriel Pageau to the Islanders for a 1st round pick in 2020 (as long as the Islanders are not picking in the top 3), a 2nd round pick in 2020 and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2022. As of right now, the Senators have 13 draft picks in 2020, 3 in the first round and 4 in the second round, which is important in a loaded draft and they have many young prospects in the AHL, playing in Bellville, and also many young talented pieces on both sides of the puck already on the Senators’ roster. 

     The Edmonton Oilers are sitting at 2nd in the Pacific Division with 76 points and are in a playoff spot, but not by much. They have a lot of talent on their roster, on both offense and defense. Leon Draisatl is already over 100 points through 65 games and Connor McDavid is sitting at 89 points through 59 games. They have been scoring at a consistent pace, they are in the top half of the league in scoring and their defense has been playing well, top half in the league in goals-against too. They gave up a 5th round conditional pick in 2021 for Tyler Ennis, a good top-9 depth forward and gave up a 2nd round pick in 2020 and 2021 and Sam Gagner for an elite offensive playmaker in Andreas Athanasiou and a depth forward in Ryan Kuffner. They also bolstered their already talented blueline with veteran defenseman Mike Green who contributes on both ends of the ice and received goalie prospect Angus Redmond and a 7th round pick for defensemen Joel Persson, set to be a UFA. They can contend for a Stanley Cup.

     I also selected three losers for the trade deadline. They are as follows. 

     The Colorado Avalanche are not considered losers at the trade deadline because of a terrible deal they made, it was because they didn’t make a deal before the trade deadline. The Colorado Avalanche were one of the best teams in the NHL before the deadline. They were 2nd in the Central Division, 13 points above the 2nd wild card team, pretty secured into a playoff spot. They have good depth on forward, on defense and their goalies have been playing well lately too. Their goal differential of +49 is a league-best. The Avalanche had a ton of cap space, almost all of their original draft picks, and a loaded farm team full of elite NHL ready players. They could have used this to bolster up the depth on their team to make them a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this year and in years to come. They didn’t do that. They added a backup goaltender in Michael Hutchinson and a depth forward in Vladislav Namestnikov. If they lose early in the playoffs, we’ll know why.

     The Calgary Flames are third place in the Pacific division, barely clinging to a playoff spot, just 3 points above the final wildcard team. They are under immense pressure to make the playoffs and are well known by many to be in the market for a right-winger. They would up with defensemen Eric Gustafsson and Derek Forbort. Both players add depth to the team and will help a struggling and banged up defensive corps until Marc Giordano and Travis Hamonic return from injury. Gustafsson has proven he can get involved in the offensive side of the game as well, which will help a mid-tier Flames’ offense improve even more. The Flames only trail the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the Pacific division leaders by 5 points. If they had gotten an acclaimed right-winger, maybe they would have the potential to win their division.

     The Buffalo Sabres have been playing pretty well as of late, winning 6 of their last 10 games. Yet they remain 12 points behind Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It was surprising to see the Sabres general manager be so quiet at the trade deadline when they have a decent amount of cap space and draft picks to use in exchange for some talented players on offense and on defense to add to their current depth. Sure, they have talent like Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin but they could always use more, especially when fighting for a playoff spot. They gave up a conditional 5th rounder in 2021 for Wayne Simmonds and they traded away Connor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues for Dominik Kahun, two minor deals, but those trades aren’t going to put you over the top, so why bother?

We will see if these winners and losers correlate to who wins the Stanley Cup this season. 

NFL 2020 Mock Draft

By: Adamo Marinelli

February 29th, 2020

     This year’s draft is loaded with talent at many positions, particularly wide receivers, quarterbacks, defensive backs, and offensive linemen. These players have the potential to turn a struggling team around. In this piece, I will look at the biggest weakness of every team that has a pick in the first round and draft for them based on that, unless of course, there is a player they can't pass on.

     With the first overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals will select Joe Burrow, QB from LSU. Burrow is the Heisman Trophy winner, a national champion and has the potential to be the next franchise QB of the Bengals, especially with weapons like AJ Green and Joe Mixon helping him. 

     With the second overall pick, the Washington Redskins will select Chase Young, DE from Ohio State. He is the best pass rusher in the draft, the Redskins need help on defense and Ron Rivera’s defensive scheme will not allow them to pass up-on him. Next Khalil Mack. 

     With the third overall pick, the Detriot Lions will select Jeffrey Okudah, CB from Ohio State. The Lions had a rough year in the secondary in 2019 and Darius Slay might be leaving in free agency which starts soon. Okudah had a dominant season at Ohio and possesses speed, skill, length, and a competitive edge to develop into a lockdown cover corner.

     With the fourth overall pick, the New York Giants will select Isaiah Simmons, LB from Clemson. The New York Giants found their franchise QB Daniel Jones, but desperately need to improve a pass-rushing unit that was 23rd in the league. Isaiah Simmons provides speed, a burst off the line, athleticism and talent to improve a linebacker core. 

     With the fifth overall pick, the Miami Dolphins will select Tua Tagovailoa, QB from Alabama. The Dolphins are continuing a long rebuild and the next step would be getting a franchise QB, even if he sits behind Fitzpatrick for a season. Tua’s injury report came back as positive as possible, if the Dolphins believe this, they will take him. He was the first pick before his injury.

     With the 6th overall pick, the Los Angeles Chargers will select Justin Herbert, QB from Oregon. With Philip Rivers set to go into free agency, they need a franchise QB on their roster, even if he sits behind Tyrod Taylor for a year. 

     With the 7th overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars will trade up to select Derrick Brown, DL from Auburn. Marcel Darius is set to depart in free agency and Calais Campbell set to make $17.5 million in 2020, they will need a talented option on the interior defensive line on a rookie contract. 

     With the 8th overall pick, the Arizona Cardinals will select Henry Ruggs III, WR from Alabama. They were able to sign offensive tackle D.J Humphries, so they don’t have to address their o-line, which is pretty well built. If they add a speedy receiver alongside Larry Fitzgerald, they will have a dynamic duo for Kyler Murray at least for a few years. 

     With the 9th overall pick, the Carolina Panthers trade down to select Kristian Fulton, CB from LSU. Fulton might be sub 6 feet, but he is speedy, physical, and can be one of many sub 6 foot cornerbacks to be taken in the first round. His two years at LSU proved to be excellent. 

     With the 10th overall pick, the Cleveland Browns select Tristan Wirfs, OL from Iowa. The Browns are in dire need of an offensive tackle, and Wirfs is so athletic and versatile. His combine results were spectacular, especially in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump. Dream come true pick for Cleveland. 

     With the 11th overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles trade up from to select Ceedee Lamb, WR from Oaklahoma. In a deep receiver and offensive linemen class, the Jets general manager will decide to acquire more picks in the 2nd round this year and 3rd round next year for lineman to protect Darnold and receivers to help him out. 

     With the 12th overall pick, the Las Vegas Raiders will select Jordan Love, QB, Utah State. It feels like it is the end of the road for Derek Carr in Vegas. They will draft a mobile quarterback who can make throws on the run, out of the pocket to compete with Patrick Mahomes, who they play twice a year. He may get to sit behind Tom Brady, who is favored to go to Vegas.

     With the 13th overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts will select Javon Kinlaw, DL from South Carolina. They would have to trade up to get a top tier QB, which is an option, but the Colts do need help on the defensive line. Kinlaw is a beast that can play anywhere on the defensive line, with his speed, agility, burst off the line and nose for the QB. 

     With the 14th overall pick, the Tampa Bay Buccanneers will select Mekhi Bocton, OL from Louisville. It is uncertain who will be behind center next year for the Bucs, but whether it will be Jameis Winston or a QB from a deep draft class, the Bucs will need to be able to protect him. Bocton is athletic and versatile, amazed at the combine and had an amazing career in college.

      With the 15th overall pick, the Denver Broncos will select Jerry Jeudy, WR from Alabama. Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant have proved to be stellar weapons for a young Drew Lock, who appears to be the next franchise QB. Adding another speedy, agile receiver who can run routes efficiently, he is the best route runner in the class, will help improve this offense a lot. 

     With the 16th overall pick, the Atlanta Falcons will select A.J Epenesa, EDGE from Iowa. He is a very athletic edge rusher who always gets a huge burst off the line, he is fast, agile, strong and athletic, and can almost always beat his block. He is very Von Miller-esque. He is versatile and can beat blocks with power on the inside. He has a nose for the QB and Dan Quinn’s defense - who was very injured and not effective last season - could use Epenesa’s talent. 

     With the 17th overall pick, the Dallas Cowboys will select Trevon Diggs, CB from Alabama. Byron Jones is a talented cornerback and will demand a salary of $15 or $16 million a year or more. The likelihood of Dallas signing him is low, especially when considering they have to sign Prescott and Cooper. Getting a man-to-man lockdown cover corner will help the Cowboys who use man coverage the majority of the time. 

     With the 18th overall pick, the Miami Dolphins, after acquiring this pick from the Steelers, will select K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE from LSU. After acquiring their franchise QB, another weakness they need to address is a pass rusher. Chaisson lines up on the outside but can play inside linebacker too. He had a career year in college with 60 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 1 fumble. 

     With the 19th overall pick, the Vegas Raiders, after acquiring this pick from the Bears who traded down for more picks in the 2nd round and next year, will select Laviska Shenault Jr., WR from Colorado. Shenault is built tough like Saquon Barkley and excels at getting yards after the catch, something Jon Gruden likes and something that will help out their new young QB. 

     With the 20th overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars, after acquiring this pick from the Los Angeles Rams, will select Andrew Thomas, OL from Georgia. Thomas is a left tackle and exerts power in the run game and is a skilled pass protector. He could eventually replace Cam Robinson at LT, who has struggled a lot on the outside. Robinson will move to guard in an attempt to improve the Jags’ 26th rated o-line. 

     With the 21st overall pick, the New York Jets traded down to select Jedrick Wills Jr. OL from Alabama. Wills is the best offensive lineman in the draft and can play anywhere on the line. He is strong and agile and excels at both run and pass blocking. Nice value pick to protect Darnold. As well as receiving Wills, they receive future picks from the Eagles for this year and next year's draft.

     With the 22nd overall pick, the Buffalo Bills select Brandon Aiyuk, WR from Arizona State. The Bills need to address their receiving core badly and need depth behind Cole Beasly. Aiyuk has a big burst off the line of scrimmage, and long arms which makes for a gigantic catch radius. He will be able to lineup out wide and in the slot. 

     With the 23rd overall pick, the New England Patriots will select Grant Delpit, S from LSU. Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty had great statistical years at CB but the safety play from Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung has been inconsistent. Delpit’s field vision and physicality would stabilize the middle of the field defensively. 

     With the 24th overall pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers trade into the draft to select Josh Jones, OL from Houston. He is a natural left tackle but is agile enough to play guard as the Steelers need help on their interior offensive line. Or Villanueva can shift to guard, as he did start his career as a defensive end. Either way, the Steelers get good value by picking Josh Jones. The Saints will probably receive the Steelers’ 2nd round pick in 2020 and a later pick in 2021 in return for the 24th overall pick. 

     With the 25th overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings select CJ Henderson, CB from Florida. He is a speedy, athletic cornerback that can play in the slot or on the outside because of his ability to track down the ball and break up passes. His 6’1’’ frame helps him defend against taller receivers. He is the playmaker the Vikings need on their defense with an aging Xavier Rhodes.

     With the 26th overall pick, the Miami Dolphins will select Isaiah Wilson, OL from Georgia. They addressed their biggest needs by drafting a QB and an edge rusher but need another big body to protect their young QB. Wilson is a strong, physical man with an enormous 6’7”, 350 lbs figure that can prevent blitzes from anywhere on the line.

     With the 27th overall pick, the Seattle Seahawks will select Austin Jackson, OL from USC. The Seahawks are a team with an o-line that is much better at run blocking than pass blocking. No QB has been under pressure more than Wilson and according to Pro Football Focus, he has faced pressure on over 40% of hid dropbacks since 2012. That is atrocious. In 2019, Seattle remained one of the worst pass-blocking teams, causing Wilson to improvise more than necessary. Jackson should help to solidify this.

     With the 28th overall pick, the Baltimore Ravens will select Yetur Gross-Matos, an EDGE from Penn State. Other than Matthew Judon, the Ravens aren’t generating a lot of outside pressure. Gross-Matos is speedy off the edge even with his large figure and has a lot of interesting counter moves. Reminds me of a young Von Miller. 

     With the 29th overall pick, the Tennesee Titans will select Zach Baun, LB from Wisconsin. He will help the Titans defense drastically with his athletic ability to cover the pass as a linebacker or to rush QBs from the edge of the defensive line.

     With the 30th overall pick, the Green Bay Packers will select Ross Blacklock, DL from TCU. Blacklock is a freaky athlete: agile, speedy and strength. On the inside of the defensive line, he and Kenny Clark would be a dangerous duo. 

      With the 31st overall pick, the San Fransisco 49ers will select Xavier McKinney, S from Alabama. He is the best safety in the draft and is a playmaker in the backfield. After playing in Nick Saban’s scheme, he will be able to do anything Robert Saleh asks him to do.

     With the 32nd overall pick, the Kansas City Chiefs will select Jordan Elliott, DL from Missouri. Chris Jones may not resign with the Chiefs in free agency, and if he doesn’t they will have a big need for a defensive tackle that can block passes, stop the run and rush the QB from the interior spot on the defensive line. Elliott will help the Chiefs in that regard. 

CFL's Playoff Format Revamped?

Adamo Marinelli

February 19th, 2020

     Recently, the commissioner of the CFL, Randy Ambrosie started pitching the idea of a new playoff format to CFL team owners and fans. 

     The current formula sees 6 teams make the postseason. The top seeds in the East and the West division get a bye. Then, in theory, the next two best teams from each division will play in the semifinal game for their respective division; the higher seed hosts the semifinal game. The winner of the semifinal game then plays the division winner in the East or West final game for a chance to go to the Grey Cup. This can be a problem, especially if one division is better than the other. For the past four years, the West has been the better division. The fourth-place team of the West was better than the third-place team in the East, so it would receive a playoff spot and would cross over to the East Division and play the 2nd place East team in the semifinal game. The fact that the West team would have a better record than the East team, but have to play on the road in the semifinal is unattractive to many.

     The new proposed plan would ensure the top seeds in the East and the West division get a bye to the division final games. The next four teams with the best records - regardless of what division they’re in - would get into the playoffs. The 3rd place team would host the 6th place team and 4th place teams would host the 5th place team in Saturday’s semifinal game. The next day, the team with the best regular-season record in the league would get to pick which of the two semifinal winners they wanted to play in the conference final games, for a potential Grey Cup birth. 

     This new format would allow the best teams to have a shot at the playoffs and would prevent any West Division teams missing out on the playoffs or having to travel on the road to face an East Division team with a weaker record. 

     According to the commissioner, “We think [the new playoff format] could actually keep more teams in the playoff hunt longer and create more intrigue [fan engagement, and interest in later season games].”

     The commissioner said that this new playoff format could be introduced as early as the 2020 season. Personally, I would be very interested in the new format.

Why the XFL Will Succeed

By: Adamo Marinelli

February 15th, 2020

     In May of 2001, after a short 1 season stint, the XFL collapsed after owner Vince McMahon stated the league would continue even without sponsorship from NBC due to plummeting TV ratings. He planned to add more expansion teams to begin the second season despite lacking the necessary funding to do so. With disappointing ratings and a lack of funding and entertaining play, the league unfortunately folded. 

     In March of 2018, Tom Dundon founded the AAF, a football league to keep NFL fans entertained through the spring. Without even finishing its inaugural season, it shut down after week 8 as a result of many combining factors, mainly because of lackluster play in the first half of the season and because Dundon had a different vision for the future of the league than the other general managers. Dundon rushed talks between the AAF and NFLPA on allowing practice squad players to develop in the AAF. 

     Nearly 20 years after the XFL’s first attempt, it has come back better than ever. Despite only seeing only a little more than a week of action, the play has been excellent. All eight teams have several skilled players at various positions, making the game fun to watch and the various rule changes such as the new and improved kickoff, the various values of the PAT, the new overtime rules, the shortened play clock and the continuous game clock outside of 2 minutes makes for a fast-paced, entertaining game. This entertaining style of play added with considerable talent on offense and defense built up a great audience. 

     In week 1, the XFL averaged a viewership of 3.12 million people per game. That is an impressive figure: outperforming all NBA and college basketball broadcasts of the previous week and almost comparing to the NBA playoffs broadcasts which averaged 3.95 million viewers per game heading into the NBA Finals. The Super Bowl hangover was evident last weekend considering the incredible viewership.

     Another problem with the AAF was the lack of stadium attendance. There were no reported sellouts for the entire season, partially because of the lackluster play and lack of innovation in terms of rules. Darren Rovell reported that the XFL had made more money from ticket revenue before any of their games even started than the AAF made in its entire season. The XFL drew over 17,000 fans combined in the first four games, more than tripling the AAF’s total in week 1.

     The attendance in the stadium and the TV ratings plummeted in the AAF during and after week 2. Average attendance stalled at 15,293 and only drew an average of 1 million viewers after kickoff weekend. The XFL arguably has more talent and has innovated the rules more than the AAF. Also, the XFL refs have been pretty good so far, a crucial part in maintaining a loyal fanbase, which in theory should help the XFL maintain their TV ratings and stadium attendance. However, to avoid meeting a similar fate to the AAF, the XFL will need to continue to find ways to innovate and keep their viewers entertained.

Super Bowl 54

VS

Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers

Hard Rock Stadium

Miami, Florida, United States

Sunday, February 2nd, 2019

6:30 pm ET

     To end off the NFL’s 100th season, the 2nd seed Kansas City Chiefs who finished 12-4 will be taking on the 1st seed San Francisco 49ers who had a 13-3 season in Super Bowl 54.

     This will be the seventh Super Bowl appearance for the 49ers, their first since 2012. They have won 5 of 6 Super Bowls they have been in and look to capture their sixth championship which would tie with the Patriots and Steelers for the most in NFL history. 

     The Kansas City Chiefs will be heading to their first Super Bowl game since 1969 when they beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl 4 fifty years ago. 

     Let’s take a look at how we got to this point in time. 

     In the wild card round, the Texans capitalized on a quiet Bills’ offense in the second half and QB Deshaun Watson rallied his team back from a 16-0 deficit in the third quarter to win a thriller in overtime, 22-19 after a wonderful elusive play to avoid a sack which set up the game-winning field goal.

     The Patriots were upset 20-13 by the Titans, particularly stellar abilities of RB Derrick Henry who had 182 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and the Titans defense capitalized on a deflated Patriots’ offense that couldn’t keep drives alive because they had too many mistakes. 

     The 6th seed Vikings also had a stellar game especially on defense, given their secondary was depleted with injuries which caused them to readjust their formations. Their defense held the Saints in check on the ground and through the air and they won a thriller in overtime on a play where both the wide receiver and defensive back were battling with their hands.

     The next game was a battle of two injured teams. The depleted Seahawks against the even more depleted Eagles. The game was close for the most part, but when Carson Wentz exited the game with a head injury, Josh McCown was unable to take the Eagles to the endzone in a 17-9 loss. The Seahawks defense had 7 sacks in the win.  

     In the divisional round, the Titans weren’t done with their miraculous season just yet. The Titans came in with another run-heavy game plan and it worked. Derrick Henry rushed for over 180 yards in his second career playoff game and third straight game and had the only touchdown pass. The Titans got up early and kept their foot on the gas. The Ravens made many mistakes and couldn’t make a comeback. 

     Minnesota managed to beat the Saints, a Super Bowl favorite but was outright overpowered by San Francisco. The Vikings offensive line was no match for the elite 49ers defensive line and Dalvin Cook was eliminated from the game plan, rushing for only 18 yards. 49ers dominated in a 27-10 game.

     After falling behind 24-0 early in the second quarter to the Houston Texans, the Chiefs and their lifeless offense looked ready to roll-over and die. However, the lackluster play-calling abilities of Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien were a factor in this game. They faked a punt on their own 31-yard line. The Chiefs proceeded to score 41 unanswered points to win a game.

     Finally, the Green Bay Packers were able to use a well-balanced offensive game on the ground and through the air and they took a 17-3 lead into halftime. QB Aaron Rodgers had 243 yards and 2 TDs, RB Aaron Jones had 62 yards and 2 rushing TDs. The depleted Seahawks fought their way back scoring 20 2nd half points but lost 28-23 on a catch that was supposedly enough for a 1st down.

     In the conference championship games, the Titans led by 10 points on two different occasions: they were up 10-0 and 17-7. Despite this, they were not able to do what they do best, which is running the ball. RB Derrick Henry was shut down, only rushing for 69 yards and one TD, only ⅓ of last week’s output. Credit to the Chiefs’ run defense who played well despite a bad regular season. Mahomes had 3 pass TD and a rush TD in another comeback win in the playoffs.

     Green Bay’s excellent first season under new head coach Matt LaFleur ended short of expectations. They went 13-3 this year after going 6-9-1 last year, thanks to an improved defense and a career year for Aaron Jones. However, the 49ers, particularly RB Raheem Mostert torched the Packers’ run defense - which looked like an open gate - with 220 rush yards and 4 rushing TDs, the most in playoff history. This game was never close, the 49ers won 37-20. 

      And so, Super Bowl 54 will have a battle between the Chiefs' 2nd best offense - behind Baltimore - and the 49ers who have the best defense in the NFL. 

     As of today, January 30th, the Chiefs are 1.5 point favorites to win with an over-under of 54.5. If the Chiefs cover the spread, the money line is -120. If the 49ers cover the spread, the money line is even. 

     The Chiefs were heavy Super Bowl favorites before this season started along with the Patriots, Rams and the Saints. That claim made sense after the MVP caliber year Mahomes had in 2018, his first full year as a starter. In 2018, Mahomes and the entire offense was clicking and Mahomes threw for 50 TDs and 5000 yards. This year is production decreased significantly. He threw for 4031 yards and only 26 TDs, but their receiver core was simply too fast and no-one could cover Travis Kelce, which allowed their offense to have a big play and quick-strike aspect that hurt many opponents. Their defense, both in the run and pass game was still questionable like it has been for almost a decade, but better play late in the season helped the Chiefs improve defensively, particularly in the secondary with the play of Tyrann Matthieu. They still weren’t elite, however. An injury to QB Patrick Mahomes had their fans a little worried but he returned in week 10 after only missing two games to help guide the Chiefs to a first-round bye. 

     The 49ers entered the campaign with +4000 odds to win the Super Bowl after an injury to their QB Jimmy Garaopolo led to a disappointing 4-12 record. This season, they obtained the first seed in the NFC after cruising to 13 wins. Improving by 9 wins in a single season is unheard of in the NFL but the 49ers were able to do it with a healthy roster and a team that knew how to close out close games. Their offense under Jimmy Garopolo was pretty good and they had a reliable pass attack with weapons like George Kittle, one of the best tight ends in the game; Kendrick Bourne and rookie Deebo Samuel. Their trade deadline addition of Emmanuel Sanders really added to their depth and speed at wide receiver and made the unit a scary one. Their run game proved effective too with the triple-headed monster in Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman. One thing the lackluster 2018 season gave the 49ers was a top 5 pick to draft an all-star defensive end in Nick Bosa. He solidified an already dominant 49ers defensive line - good at stopping the run and getting to the QB - that had 57 sacks, 9 of which in the playoffs, who created 27 turnovers and who gave up the second-fewest total yards allowed. 

     In terms of total offense, the Chiefs are ranked 6th overall with 6,067 yards and the 49ers are ranked 4th overall with 6,097 yards. 

     Both quarterbacks are very young, Mahomes is 24 years old, Garoppolo is 28 years old, and both signal callers have a plethora of weapons to pass the ball to. The Chiefs have several speedy wide receivers like Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Mecole Hardman and Travis Kelce, an elite pass-catching tight end. The Niners have plenty of experience at receiver with veteran targets like Emmanuel Sanders and Kendrick Bourne and speedy elusive youngsters like Deebo Samuel. The 49ers also have George Kittle, another one of the elite tight ends in the game. The Chiefs have the advantage in the receiving game, however, ranking 5th in the NFL with 4,498 yards and 30 passing TDs. Whereas, the 49ers rank 13th in the league with 3,792 yards and 28 passing TDs. In the playoffs, the Chiefs have the best passing attack with 608 yards, 8 TDs, and 0 INTs compared to the 49ers who rank dead last with 191 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. This clearly shows the 49ers are a rushing team, Chiefs are a passing team. Despite the lack of production from the passing game in terms of TDs and yards they are still capable of big plays and can burn a team through the air. Chiefs have the advantage in the passing game. 

     In the rushing game, the 49ers have a clear advantage. The 49ers finished 2nd in the league, only behind the Baltimore Ravens with an astounding team total of 2,305 yards on the ground equating to 144.1 rush yards per game. Not only that, but the 49ers are a physical team when running the football and their offensive line is top 5 in the league in creating holes to run through. Each of their 3 running backs has a different style of running the ball and they are able to tire out defenses very easily with long, meticulous drives controlling the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, the Chiefs are 10th worst when running the ball with only 1569 yards on the ground. They are a very pass-heavy team that relies on quick-strike drives. In the playoffs, the 49ers have the most rush TDs with 6 and the most yards with 471, which is 235.5 per game compared to the 7th best Chiefs with 4 rush TDs and only 230 rush yards and 115 per game. The 49ers are a physical team that controls the clock and line of scrimmage and hurts you with its strong run game. The 49ers have the advantage in the run game.

     In regards to total defense, the 49ers have the advantage. They are the 2nd best in the league, only giving up 4,509 yards and 310 points. The Chiefs are the 17th best total defense giving up 5,594 yards and 308 points. 

  

     Against the run, the 49ers are 17th best in the league, giving up only 1802 yards and 11 TDs. The Chiefs are 6th worst in the league, giving up 2051 rush yards and 14 rushing TDs. Both these teams are not in the top half in the league, but the real difference in this category is the 49ers defensive line is much better than the Chiefs’ defensive line. Sure, the Chiefs added Frank Clark and have veteran Chris Jones but the 49ers have the best defensive line in the league with players like DeForest Buckner, Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, who are skilled at stopping the run and getting to the QB. They have proven they can get after all quarterbacks, even mobile QBs like Mahomes which could help the 49ers in this game. The 49ers were tied for 5th most sacks with 48 in the regular season and have the most in the playoffs so far with 9. They can send power from the outside and inside of the defensive line. The Chiefs are 11th best with 45 sacks and 8 in the playoffs but struggle to generate a pass rush from the inside of the defensive line. The 49ers also forced 9 forced fumbles, the 5th best in the league, Chiefs have forced 6 and are in the bottom half of the league. The 49ers have more forced fumbles than the Chiefs in the regular season and in the playoffs with 7, compared to a mere 2 for the Chiefs. 

     Against the pass, the 49ers gave up the fewest yards in the league with only 2,707 yards, but they have given up 23 passing TDs and have created 12 interceptions, making them the 5th best secondary in the league. With lockdown cornerbacks like Richard Sherman, Emmanuel Moseley and strong ball-hawk safeties such as Jaquiski Tartt, teams won’t have a lot of luck racking up yards against this team. The Chiefs are the 11th best secondary giving up 3,543 yards but have only given up 21 pass TDs and created  16 interceptions. The 49ers have the advantage in terms of yardage but the Chiefs have given up two fewer TDs and got 4 more interceptions. This is in the regular season, however. In the playoffs, the 49ers gave up the fewest yards per game with 252.5 and the fewest rush yards per game with 41.5. Chiefs were 3rd best in rush yards per game allowed with only 89.5 and are 4th worst in total yards per game allowed with 368.5. The 49ers were 6th best against the pass giving up 211 yards per game whereas the Chiefs were 9th best giving up 279 yards per game. Also, the 49ers have 3 INTs and gave up 3 pass TDs, Chiefs have 0 INTs gave up 4 pass TDs. 

     Both coaches are good, both have their flaws and both are looking for their 1st Super Bowl championship. Kyle Shanahan was on the losing side of the infamous 28-3 comeback after his Falcons had the 2nd best offense in the league in 2016. Andy Reid has won a lot of football games, the only time he went to a Super Bowl was 15 years ago when his Eagles lost Super Bowl 39 to the Patriots thanks to atrocious game-clock management skills. However, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid is the more experienced coach heading into this game, thanks to his long career, having more career wins and playoff wins than Kyle Shanahan who is a relatively new head coach. Coaches are like fine wine, they improve with age. Both are offensive-minded head coaches, and Shanahan has built a strong run game this season whereas Reid built an explosive passing game this season, but overall offensive abilities would favor Reid because he has had a longer career.

     The 49ers will win the Super Bowl if they are able to get off to a fast start and build an early lead by controlling the line of scrimmage and the clock with their strong, physical running game. Considering the Chiefs started slow in both of their playoff games - trailing 24-0 to the Texans and 10-0 to the Titans - if the 49ers can build a lead with a running game, the Chiefs don’t have the best defense against the run and the 49ers can run freely all game long, tire the Chiefs’ defense and keep Mahomes and company off the field. As long as the 49ers defense can prevent the Chiefs from connecting on big plays downfield - the Chiefs are known for their quick scoring ability - and force them to take 15/16 play scoring drives, it will take more time off the clock and force the Chiefs to use their lackluster run game to open up the passing game.

     The Chiefs will win the Super Bowl if they are able to stop San Francisco’s dominant run game. The 49ers are a run-first team and are dead-last in the passing game in the playoffs. If the Chiefs take away the run game and force Jimmy Garropolo to pass more than 25 times in the game, they will put the onus on the 49ers’ passing game to make big plays. They are able to do that, even against a Chiefs’ secondary that has improved in the second half of the year but are more comfortable running the ball. On offense, if the Chiefs are able to connect on their big plays downfield and score TDs on 3-4 play drives like they did against the Texans, it will play into Mahomes’ strengths and it will

help them wear down the 49ers’ top 10 secondary.  

     Both of these teams are very good and no matter who wins, this game will be close, but I believe the 49ers will be able to get a strong run game going. The Chiefs did a marvelous job completely removing Derrick Henry from the Titans’ game plan in the AFC Championship. Derrick Henry is the main part of the Titans’ run-heavy game plan and a dominant, quick and physical running back who rushed for over 180 yards in the wild card round and divisional round and averaged 196 rush yards per game in his last 3 games. He is a dominant running back and quick for his size. However, the 49ers have three talented and physical running backs and one of the best and most physical offensive lines in the league that can easily make space to run through. When you put that against a Chiefs’ run defense that is 17th best in the league, it is clear the 49ers will be able to control the clock and the line of scrimmage in this game and keep the Chiefs’ potent passing game off the field. If the 49ers defense can prevent the Chiefs from connecting on deep plays downfield, they should be able to win the game. I am taking the 49ers in a close game 34-28, covering the spread. 

     Tune in to Super Bowl 54 on TSN, CTV, CBC or your local FOX or CBS network on Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 at 6:30pm ET. The pre-game starts at 1:00pm ET.