Why Chiefs will win Super Bowl: It starts with Patrick Mahomes

There are assignments, and then there are gimmes. So when asked to explain why the Chiefs will win Sunday’s Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, the only question was by how much rather than if.

To make it all official, though, here are five reasons the Chiefs will defeat the 49ers:

1. The Patrick Mahomes factor

As if quarterback Mahomes’ place in NFL history wasn’t already cemented with two Super Bowl wins, he added to the legacy even more by reaching another championship game.

Only it’s not that he got to Super Bowl 58. It’s how he got to it.

Mahomes had never played a road playoff game until this season, and some wondered if venturing away from the familiar confines of Kansas City would be what finally did him in.

Ha.

First, Mahomes took down the Bills and Josh Allen in Buffalo. Then he went to Baltimore and beat the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, the favorite to win NFL MVP honors.

After all that, will you bet against Mahomes at Allegiant Stadium, where he’s never lost?

2. Travis Kelce’s and Taylor Swift’s power

The Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end is expected to have the world’s most famous football fan in the stadium cheering for him. Of course, we are talking about Swift, the mega pop star who is dating Kelce.

As if that isn’t enough motivation for Kelce, keep in mind Swift won a Grammy for Album of the Year last Sunday.

So now you have the ultratalented Kelce motivated by the presence of his girlfriend and the possibility of placing a Super Bowl MVP trophy alongside Swift’s Grammy award.

Enough said.

3. Chiefs defense is really good

The 17.3 points per game the Chiefs surrendered this season was the second fewest in the NFL.

That’s scary enough.

But it gets dicey for the 49ers because they have been getting off to slow starts during the playoffs by falling behind the Packers and Lions.

If their recent trend continues, this game might be over sooner rather than later.

The Chiefs defense is better than that of the Packers and Lions, so if you’re expecting the 49ers to be able to ease their way into the Super Bowl and find another gear in the fourth quarter, that’s not going to happen against a defense as good as Kansas City’s.

4. Andy Reid

The Chiefs didn’t entirely rip up their playbook midway through the season, but when they shifted from a passing team to more of a run-centric attack, they found the identity they had lacked earlier in the season.

That goes straight to their coach, Reid, who historically prefers a heavy passing attack but understood the need to make a change. That’s what great coaching is all about, and it shows that Reid remains on top of his game.

He also understands the more balanced attack fits perfectly with the Chiefs’ stingy defense.

And lest you forget, if the Super Bowl does become a shootout, Reid has a full playbook to meet the moment.

5. Chiefs are playing for history

Mahomes, Kelce and Reid are football historians, and talking to them this week you get the feeling they know what is at stake.

It’s nothing less than being talked about as one of the greatest teams of all time. To win two straight Super Bowls and three in five years is big stuff. The stuff people talk about for decades.

They are not about to let that chance slip through their hands.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.