The Kansas City Chiefs make it look easy, but getting back to the Super Bowl is just as hard as the first time. As the San Francisco 49ers play in their fourth Super Bowl in five years on Sunday, it will be their first appearance since falling to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV at the end of the 2019 season.It’s a Super Bowl rematch with many of the same faces and stories. But watching this game,
it’s easy to wonder why the rematch took so long. When the 49ers saw a 10-point quarterback lead evaporate in Miami this year, they and many others felt they were just entering their championship window with an exciting young roster and coaching staff.They’re still in that window, but they’ve had a lot of problems along the way, including a season where they missed the playoffs entirely. Meanwhile, the Chiefs won another Super Bowl the following season and are the defending champions. Both teams have had a lot of success, but how much have they really changed since their first meeting?Head Coaches Haven’
t ChangedKyle Shanahan and Andy Reid faced off in the first game, and the former is still trying to prove he can handle the big games just like the latter. Shanahan has a reputation for choking in the biggest games, dating back to the Falcons’ 28-3 loss against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.The next day, Shanahan joined the 49ers as head coach and it took him only a few seasons to reach the Super Bowl with Reid and the Chiefs. But again, Shanahan’s team gave up a double-digit lead and cemented the “choke” tag, and the next two NFC Championship losses didn’
t help.While the head coaches remain the same, Shanahan and Reid’s staff has seen work. Over the years, several coordinators and position coaches on the 49ers found their way to head coaching gigs – all according to Mike McDaniel (then running backs coordinator, now Dolphins head coach), DeMeco Ryans (then interior coach, now Texans). head coach) and Robert Saleh (then defensive coordinator, now Jets head coach).Then there are guys like Mike LaFleur (passing coordinator, now with the Rams) and Bobby Slowik (offensive assistant, now with the Texans) who were important to the 49ers in 2019.
The biggest new names on the 49ers staff are defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and assistant head coach/head coach Anthony Lynn, both former head coaches.Then there’s Reid, perhaps the most respected coach in football, another start where basically everyone agrees he was outstanding. Reid is fortunate to still have Steve Spagnuolo as his defensive coordinator, as the Chiefs have dominated that side of the ball all season. That 2019 Super Bowl victory was Spagnuolo’s first season in the role.The biggest name no longer with the Chiefs is offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who is currently looking for a new home after one season with the Commanders in the same role in 2023. Overall, the Chiefs have had remarkably little coad likes..ching flow, which Rei
