Paul Schwartz at the NY Post:
"So, if hyping quarterback battles is your thing, steer clear of Super Bowl 2020 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. This does not figure to be a fair fight. If you are more into intriguing matchups on both sides of the ball, if the 49ers’ lethal defense vs. the Chiefs’ killer speed gets you going, have at it. If seeing how an historically efficient running game can carry the Niners to a title or if a transcendent athlete such as Mahomes can lift the Chiefs with his enormous physical gifts, this is must-see entertainment.Read all about this Marquee matchup:
The 49ers (15-3) are looking to claim their sixth Lombardi Trophy and first since after the 1994 season, when they beat the Chargers at Joe Robbie Stadium — the same spot (with a different name) this game will be played. The most recent Super Bowl appearance for the 49ers came after the 2012 season, when Colin Kaepernick and the Niners lost a wild shoot out to the Ravens in New Orleans.
The Chiefs (14-4) won Super Bowl IV to help usher in the NFL-AFL merger but have not been back on the big stage in 50 years.
“Being in the right organization with the right coaches, the right teammates … being in this league, it’s not about one person,” Mahomes said. “It’s not about the quarterback. It’s about your team and how you go out there and play as a team and play together.
“So I think with both me and him, we’ve been put in a lot of great situations and we’ve tried to maximize that every day we get those opportunities. I think Jimmy would say the same thing.”
Well, for most of the week leading into the game, Jimmy coolly deflected questions investigating the notion he is a bystander — heck, he threw just eight passes in the NFC Championship game — as a rock-solid defense and powerhouse rushing attack carried the 49ers to rousing playoff victories over the Vikings and Packers.
“You want to throw but when you’re rushing the ball for eight, nine yards a carry it’s like, ‘Do we really want to throw?’ ” Garoppolo said.
“Did anybody notice how good we were running the ball?’’ 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of the non-throwing NFC title-game victory. “We weren’t just running it to punt and try to win three to zero. Jimmy should never apologize for us running the ball too well.’’
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