A Different Team

"A Different Team" 

After last Sunday's victory against the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers are advancing to the Super Bowl, where they will face off against Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs. The upcoming game will be a rematch of the 2019 Super Bowl.

The elation on the team's faces was evident after their remarkable comeback against the Lions. In my opinion, it was the players who carried the team to victory that evening.

Consistently winning in professional sports is a challenging feat. Over the past three years, the 49ers have been consistent, but they have lacked that cutting edge. However, this season, especially after their two playoff wins, they have shown that they can win even when faced with adversity. The team's mindset has been singularly focused on returning to the Super Bowl.

Now, the real mental challenge lies in putting the last two games behind them. In 2019, players like Bosa, Deebo, Kittle, and Warner were still rookies or finding their footing in the league. This time around, they have a team mixed with veterans (Williams, Ward, McCafftrey and Juszczyk) who are hungry for victory and younger players who don't carry the mental scars of losing a Super Bowl (Aiyuk, Lenior, Jennings). Additionally, they have a quarterback in Purdy whom they all trust, and a head coach who has matured and is ready for the challenge that awaits him and his team on Sunday, February 11th.

I genuinely believe that the team is in a better position to contend this time around. Whether that ultimately results in winning the Super Bowl, only time will tell.