This Sunday at Santa Clara, Andy Reid’s reigning NFL champions will take on the same team they knocked off in February at Allegiant Stadium. In Super Bowl LVIII, the Kansas City Chiefs got a three-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman in overtime to overcome a three-point deficit and rallied to beat Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers, 25-22.
Now the teams meet again, which is actually become a semi-annual event in this interconference setting. Including their two Super Sunday encounters, the Chiefs and 49ers will actually clash for the fifth time in seven years dating back to 2018.
In case you’re wondering, this will be the 10th time that teams that faced each other in the Super Bowl squared off the following season. A look at a very interesting list, which has been dominated by the then-reigning Lombardi Trophy winners.
| Super Bowl | Result | Following Season | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV | Chiefs 23, Vikings 7 | 1970 | Vikings, 27-10 |
| XI | Raiders 32, Vikings 14 | 1977 | Raiders, 35-13 |
| XIII | Steelers 35, Cowboys 31 | 1979 | Steelers, 14-3 |
| XXVII | Cowboys 52, Bills 17 | 1993 | Bills, 13-10 |
| XXXI | Packers 35, Patriots 21 | 1997 | Packers, 28-10 |
| 48 | Seahawks 43, Broncos 8 | 2014 | Seahawks, 26-20 (OT) |
| 50 | Broncos 24, Panthers 10 | 2016 | Broncos, 21-20 |
| LI | Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) | 2017 | Patriots, 23-10 |
| LVII | Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 | 2023 | Eagles, 21-17 |
Both of these talented clubs should benefit from some extra time off. When last we saw the Chiefs, they were pushing around the New Orleans Saints on a Monday night in Week 5 at Arrowhead Stadium, 26-13. It was the first time Reid’s club won a game by double digits since beating the Dolphins, 26-7, in the 2023 AFC Wild Card Playoffs. Kansas City is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2018.
The 49ers have also had more than a week off. The team last played on a Thursday night in Week 6 in Seattle, and San Francisco got back to the .500 mark with a 36-24 triumph.
Shanahan’s team entered the week with the league’s second-ranked offense in terms of yards per game gained. Kansas City boasts the NFL’s ninth-ranked defense in terms of fewest yards per game allowed. Including last year’s postseason run, Patrick Mahomes and company have won 11 consecutive games dating back to Week 17 of 2023.
History says the Chiefs win, although that wasn’t the case a year ago on a Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium when the Eagles got a little Super revenge.
