RADIO
Super Bowl LVIII is here, and I’m back with my final edition of NFL predictions for the year. This week’s list of predictions will include Isiah Pacheco, Christian McCaffrey, and Travis Kelce.
For those who are not yet familiar, every week I try to provide some fun predictions. While these predictions aren’t necessarily the most likely outcomes, they are things I believe could happen this week.
Let’s look at my three predictions for Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Isiah Pacheco…
Has the most rushing yards in the game
Kansas City will likely get Jerick McKinnon back from injured reserve for the Super Bowl after the veteran running back missed the past six games with a groin injury. However, the Chiefs running back the 49ers need to worry about is Pacheco. The second-year running back had 935 rushing yards during the regular season, accounting for 72.2% of the team’s backfield total.
Pacheco averaged 66.8 rushing yards per game during the regular season, ranking sixth among players with at least 14 games played. He had a higher average than Josh Jacobs, Jahmyr Gibbs, and James Cook. More importantly, the second-year running back has been a force during the playoffs in his short career. Last year, he averaged 65.7 rushing yards per game in the postseason. By comparison, Pacheco has averaged 84.7 rushing yards per game during the playoffs this year.
The former Rutgers star has an appealing matchup on Sunday. San Francisco has struggled to stop opposing rushing attacks during the postseason. They gave up 136 rushing yards to the Green Bay Packers, including 108 to Aaron Jones. Furthermore, the 49ers surrendered 182 rushing yards to the Detroit Lions, including 93 to David Montgomery. Pacheco has compared his running style to Marshawn Lynch. Don’t be surprised if he has a Beast Mode-like performance in the Super Bowl.
Christian McCaffrey…
Wins the Super Bowl MVP award
There have been 58 Super Bowl MVP award winners in NFL history, with Harvey Martin and Randy White being the only co-MVP winners in 1978. A running back has won the award only seven times (12.1%). Yet, McCaffrey is an appealing Super Bowl MVP bet (+475 on DraftKings). The last running back to win the award was Terrell Davis in 1998, coached by Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan’s father.
San Francisco has two of the five NFL regular season MVP candidates – McCaffrey and Brock Purdy. While the second-year quarterback had an impressive season, the 49ers wouldn’t have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs or made the Super Bowl without McCaffrey. The superstar running back had a touchdown in 88.2% of the games he finished this year, including in the postseason.
Furthermore, McCaffrey is only the fifth player since 2000 to have 25 or more touchdowns in a year, including the playoffs. The former first-round draft pick has been the heart and soul of San Francisco’s offense during the postseason, scoring two rushing touchdowns in both games. He has accounted for 41.4% of the team’s scoring in the playoffs. If the 49ers are going to come away with a win on Sunday, they will need a massive performance from McCaffrey.
Travis Kelce…
Totals over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown
Unfortunately, Kelce didn’t have a superstar year during the regular season. The future Hall of Famer had under 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. Furthermore, his five receiving touchdowns were the second-lowest total in his career. While he didn’t score a touchdown in his final six regular season games, averaging only 50.4 receiving yards per contest, Kelce saved his best performances for the playoffs.
The superstar tight end has been on fire during the postseason, averaging 7.7 receptions on nine targets for 87.3 receiving yards and a touchdown per game. After having a few drops in the Wild Card Weekend victory over the Miami Dolphins, Kelce has caught 16 of 17 targets over the past two games. He totaled three receiving touchdowns in those two games, including the first Kansas City score in their AFC Championship Game victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
While Kelce doesn’t have an outstanding matchup against the 49ers, the superstar tight end has been exceptional in past Super Bowls. The future Hall of Famer has a 2-1 record in the Super Bowl, including a win over San Francisco four years ago. More importantly, he totaled 22 receptions on 27 targets for 257 receiving yards and two touchdowns in those games. Patrick Mahomes has leaned on Kelce all postseason long. Don’t expect that to change in the biggest game of the year.
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