This marks the second time in four years the Niners and Chiefs have met in the final game. The last time they played, in 2020, the planet shut down only weeks later.
For that game, they were in Miami. This time, they’re in Vegas.
“When you bring an act into this town, you want to bring it in heavy. Don’t waste any time with cheap shucks and misdemeanors. Go straight for the jugular. Get right into felonies.”
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The 49ers are bringing it heavy.
They’re the first team in NFL history to have a RB, 2 WRs, and a TE all finish with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a single season:
CMC: 2,023
Aiyuk: 1,323
Samuel:1,117
Kittle:1,022.
Where’s the act coming into town from? Well, odds are the south and Iowa.
NFL players born in each state per million residents; 2023-2024 season:
Despite southern states being an outlier for NFL talent, Hunter S. Thompson, a huge football fan, believed that football shared a universal language.
Football fans share a universal language that cuts across many cultures and many personality types. A serious football fan is never alone. We are legion, and football is often the only thing we have in common. -Hunter S. Thompson
Thompson’s suicide note was titled “Football Season Is Over”, reflecting his deep connection with the sport.
A gonzo journalist, he embedded himself with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club to research what would become his first published book: Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.
Former Raiders fullback, Marv Hubbard, did his own first-hand research on the Hell’s Angels.
When John Madden was coaching the Oakland Raiders, the El Rancho Tropicana Hotel in Santa Rosa was their home away from home.
Shortly before the 11 p.m. bed check, players would speed back into the parking lot to avoid getting fined. Five minutes after bed check, many of the same players would sneak toward the road, get picked up by a friend and go out for a night on the town.
The Music Box, Melendy’s and the Bamboo room next to the El Rancho were favored watering holes. Ken Stabler called it the circuit.
Hubbard rode his Harley to a saloon one night, and when he saw two Hells Angels sitting on his bike a short time later, a fight broke out.
Hopefully Patrick Mahomes isn’t a motorhead. Riding motorcycles is one of the things his contract prohibits him from doing:
In 2014, Drew Brees was the spokesman for the Can-Am Spyder motorcycle, despite his contract forbididing him from riding one.
"We knew the restrictions from the beginning, as did Can-Am," Brees told ESPN.com. "Ultimately because I can't ride it now doesn't mean I won't someday. The first chance I have to ride it on a closed course, you can bet I'll take advantage."
Super Bowl Numbers with Bet Openly
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8,776: As of Tuesday, people were paying a median of $8,776 per ticket, according to data from the ticket marketplace Vivid Seats, thousands of dollars more than most recent Super Bowl matchups.
10: 2006-2015 is arguably the most competitive decade of football in NFL History, with 9 different Super Bowl winners. No other 10-year span had more than 7 different winners, with 86-95 only featuring 4 different winners.
2010: As it currently stands, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes are the only active QBs drafted in the 2010s or later to win the Super Bowl.
In total, only five active QBs have won one: Rodgers (drafted 2005), Flacco (2008), Stafford (2009), Wilson (2012), and Mahomes (2017). This isn’t counting Foles (2012), as he didn’t play at all this season, and hasn’t been a regular starter for some time.
Also wild that Rodgers, Flacco, and Wilson’s wins are all now more than a decade old. Only Mahomes and Stafford’s are within the last ten years.
40 [TRIVIA]: More than 40% of commercials shown during last year’s game featured multiple celebrities, a nearly sixfold increase from 2010. Which celebrity has appeared in the most ads since 2016?
Quotes
"You turn into that villain. You turn into that team that everybody doesn't want to win. You have to embrace that in order to be great."
Patrick Mahomes tells Nate Burleson that he is ready to cement a dynasty for the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I want to break the bank and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me, and to really give me what I deserve.”
"Cooper Kupp wouldn't like that."
Puka Nacua on what changed his gaming schedule once he joined the Rams. Nacua was addicted to late-night gaming in college.
“Our biggest liability for Super Bowl MVP is Sam Darnold. At 300-1, that liability can add up quickly.”
From one oddsmaker on the Super Bowl MVP market
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Picks
Super Bowl Sunday, 2/11 @ 6:30pm
49ers (-2) at Chiefs U47.5
The 49ers third down conversion rate on 3rd and short this season: 71.0%. That’s tied for the 4th-best in NFL.
The Chiefs defense has allowed a third down conversion rate of 65.0% when defending on 3rd and short this season -- tied for the 6th-worst in the NFL.
The 49ers have forced 27 turnovers this season -- Tied for 8th-most in NFL.
The Chiefs have turned the ball over 26 times this season -- the 10th-most in NFL.
The Under has 50% of the bets and 65% of the money: +15% differential
Record
ATS: 47-59-4 (-16.23)
O/U: 37-48-3 (-14.33)
Highlights
CJ Stroud sat down with Nate Tice to break down his own film and explain his thought process.
Cam tells a story from the 2015 season
Ray Lewis went undercover as a janitor at the Pro Bowl
George Kittle in the closing moments of Super Bowl 54 after the Chiefs sealed their victory against the 49ers: “I will be back here…And I will be back with a vengeance.”