The last two teams to beat the San Francisco 49ers square off next Sunday in Super Bowl LVII when the Kansas City Chiefs meet the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs were the last team to defeat the 49ers in the regular season, riding a second half offensive explosion to down the 49ers on their home field, 44-23, in October. After that loss, the 49ers reeled off 12 straight wins before losing the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, 31-7.
The Chiefs October victory at Levi’s Stadium was the second straight setback for the eventual NFC West Division champs. To down a quality team on their home field with San Francisco coming off a prior week loss is a big deal. The Chies got it done by a three touchdown margin.
The Eagles dented the league’s best defense for 31 points to advance to their third ever franchise Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders to complete the 1980 season and upset the Tom Brady led New England Patriots five years ago to win their first Super Bowl.
Do these results lend any clue to who will win next Sunday in Arizona?
The Chiefs point total against the San Francisco defense is a clear indication that Patrick Mahomes and company are capable of scoring against any stop unit. And if Philadelphia is going to down the Chiefs next Sunday, it is considered that it is up to the Eagles defense to pave the way to victory.
Philadelphia’s lopsided win over the 49ers could be viewed through the lens of skepticism. On their first offensive series, the 49ers lost their starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, to an injury that left him unable to throw for the rest of the game. Still, when the 49ers fourth string signal caller, Josh Johnson, was knocked out of the game Purdy was forced back into the contest with only the ability to hand the ball off to runners who were forced to face a defense that was able to key on the running game.
The chances of success for the 49ers under those circumstances was equal to David defeating a motivated Goliath. We all know David caught Goliath by surprise, and I wouldn’t want to have any part of the underdog if there was a rematch.
So, the Eagles victory to gain their third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history was made a lot easier than if they would have been battling a San Francisco team at full strength.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs downed the Cincinnati Bengals at near full strength, the visitors did have offensive line injuries to contend with during their loss at Arrowhead Stadium. The narrow Kansas City victory, 23-20, can be considered a lot more impressive than the Eagles one-sided win over the 49ers.
Does this put the Chiefs chances against the Eagles up a notch next week?
It doesn’t hurt, but there are more factors to weigh before a final selection is locked down on this competitive Super Bowl matchup.