(Reuters) – The Super Bowl match-up is finally set and the Kansas City Chiefs have two weeks to prepare for their title defense against the San Francisco 49ers in a high-stakes clash that is a rematch of the NFL’s championship game from four years ago.
On Feb. 11 in Las Vegas the Chiefs can secure a third title in five seasons, a feat that would cement them as the NFL’s newest dynasty and also make them the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots in 2005.
But standing in their way are the determined 49ers, a franchise with a storied history and seeking a record-tying sixth Super Bowl championship after falling short to Kansas City in the February 2020 title game.
When they last met on the NFL’s biggest stage, the 49ers took a 10-point lead into the final quarter before the Chiefs stormed back with an enthralling rally by scoring 21 unanswered points for a 31-20 victory.
While both teams have undergone some personnel changes since that game, there are plenty of familiar faces remaining from both of their Super Bowl rosters, including Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and 49ers counterpart Kyle Shanahan.
“We already have a pretty good idea how it’s going to look,” Shanahan said on Sunday after his team punched their Super Bowl ticket. “They’ve been doing it a while. Since we met them in ’19, seems like they’ve been there every year since.
“We have been trying really hard to get back to this moment. We have been close a number of times. This time we got it done. Spend these two weeks to prepare and make sure it’s a hell of a game.”
The 49ers boast offensive weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle while the Chiefs are led by the dual-threat of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Both teams advanced to the Super Bowl this year in different fashion as the 49ers had to erase a 17-point halftime deficit on Sunday to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31, while the Chiefs defense shut down Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson in a 17-10 win.
Mahomes, who completed 30 of his 39 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ triumph on Sunday, said he was not taking his fourth Super Bowl appearance for granted.
“You never know how many you’re going to get to or if you’re going to get to any,” said Mahomes. “So it truly is special just to do it with these guys after what we’ve been through all season long. Guys coming together, it really is special.
“But I told them, ‘The job’s not done.’ Our job now is to prepare ourselves to play a good football team in the Super Bowl and try to get that ring.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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