| By Marc Lawrence — There’s no shortage of Super Bowl LIV storylines … Can Andy Reid earn his first ring in his 29th playoff game as a head coach … or will Kyle Shanahan hoist the Lombardi Trophy in his first postseason in the big chair? How about the fact that 49ers veterans Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Sanders each have as many Super Bowl appearances themselves as the entire Chiefs roster combined? Here is one of 10 numbers that matter the most in the 49ers-Chiefs clash today: 81.8 – The 49ers have rushed the ball on 81.8 percent of first-down snaps in their two postseason wins. These 22.5 first-down rushes per game have averaged 4.87 yards, with four rushes of 10-plus yards. The Chiefs have only rushed the ball on 43.8 percent of first-down snaps in their past two games, but they’ve averaged 5.5 yards per rush and accumulated six rushes of 10-plus yards. Over the course of the regular season and postseason, both defenses have yielded 4.72 yards per rush on first down, and in the past two playoff games, each has allowed more than 72 percent of passes to be completed on first down (72.4 for the Chiefs, 79.3 for the Niners). The takeaway: First-down play-calling will be a big factor in setting the tone and rhythm of the game … To read the other 9 numbers that matter the most click here. Super Bowl Trend Of The Day Speaking of numbers, check this out: The Chiefs have passed the ball 61.4% of the time this season, including playoffs. The only teams with a higher % that played in a Super Bowl were the 2008 Cardinals (63.1%) and the 2009 Colts (62.8%). Both teams lost in the Super Bowl. Prop Me Up The ‘wise guy’ Super Bowl prop in Vegas is one that not many people will dig but one that makes the most sense. Local Miami product and San Francisco DE Nick Bosa keys the top defense in the league. Much like when LB Von Miller led the top ranked Denver defense to a win over Carolina in SB XLVII, look for Bosa to have a big game today. At 18-1 odds to win the MVP he needs to be on your prop-shopping list today. |
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