3 absurdly bold predictions for Super Bowl LVIII

2. Patrick Mahomes gets flashbacks to Super Bowl LV

During Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs lost both of their starting tackles before the same, so their offensive line was a bit shaky. Both Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz did not play in the game due to an Achilles and back injury, respectively. And that was the biggest factor in the Chiefs losing. Patrick Mahomes was running for his life all game and was constantly chased out of the pocket.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also able to contain Mahomes a bit when he left the pocket, and I think the 49ers have the defensive personnel to limit the damage Mahomes could do with his legs when he is chased out of the pocket. The Chiefs starting tackles, Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor, are an underwhelming duo.

Both have at one point in their careers been rock-solid, but that has not been the case in 2023. In 17 regular season games, Pro Football Reference has credited Jawaan Taylor with a whopping 19 penalties, including seven holding calls and nine false starts. Well, with the 49ers defensive line featuring players like Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Randy Gregory, the pass rush could really get home for the 49ers.

The Chiefs interior offensive line is very good, and it's still very good even if stud guard Joe Thuney can't play with his pectoral strain. I do think there is a massive advantage here for San Francisco. Could Patrick Mahomes experience some flashbacks to Super Bowl LV? I think the matchup between the Chiefs OL and the 49ers DL could lend itself to that.