The Sunflower’s Marshall Sunner and Morgan Anderson want to argue about who will win Super Bowl LIV. We’ll let you decide.

San Fransisco 49ers

It’s plain and simple. The San Francisco 49ers will win Super Bowl LIV, and it’s not even debatable. But it’s my job to tell you why.

Rewind to the conference championship games. The 49ers clobbered the Green Bay Packers, and they did so while only passing the ball nine times. Yes, you read that right — nine times. That leads to the first reason why San Francisco will win: their commitment to running the football.

In Kansas City’s win against Tennessee, the Titans tried their hardest to keep Patrick Mahomes off of the field, which is exactly what the 49ers’ task will be. With their commitment to running the ball, and with Raheem Mostert on fire, the Niners will be able to keep Mahomes off of the field on offense. Their defense should also do the trick.

The San Francisco defense is a hassle. With depth on the defensive line and their fearless secondary playing at their highest level, San Francisco will continually frustrate this Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City struggled at times against Tennessee two weeks ago, and that Titans’ defense is nowhere close to the caliber that they will be facing on Sunday. Overall, the Niners rank No. 2 in allowing the least amount of yards per game and No. 1 in least amount of passing yards per game.

With the Niners’ stellar defense, there’s no way Mahomes goes on one of his famous runs during the big game. Yes, he may get one or two good drives, but this team can respond on both ends.

The Chiefs have gone with a pass play 61.4% of the time this season, including the playoffs. The only teams with a higher percentage prior to playing in the biggest game of the year were the 2008 Arizona Cardinals (63.1%) and the 2009 Indianapolis Colts (62.8%). Both of those teams lost in the Super Bowl, meaning San Francisco has history on their side as well.

You can’t forget about Jimmy Garoppolo either, the former New England Patriots’ prized possession. After only passing the ball nine times in the NFC Championship, Jimmy is going to be ready to go. He’s a reliable passer, as the team ranked No. 13 in the regular season in passing yards. He knows how to control the offense in a timely manner as well. He knows how to keep the other team’s offense off the field and score at a reliable rate, as the Niners were No. 2 in total points this season.

Oh, and the G.O.A.T himself, Tom Brady, texted him Tuesday to “go win.” With Brady’s blessing, there is no way this team loses the game.

The cherry on top is in the uniform choice. With the 49ers as the away team, they’ll be wearing their white jerseys with gold pants. The pants? Well, they don’t matter — it’s the jerseys that matter. Teams that have worn white jerseys have won 13 out of the last 15 Super Bowls.

So that’s it. The 49ers will win the Super Bowl and there’s no other way it’ll be. With the likes of Jimmy G, Mostert, Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, a stellar o-line, and former Chief Dee Ford, who will be out for revenge, there’s no way you bet against them.

-Marshall Sunner

Kansas City Chiefs

As a lifelong Kansan, I can honestly say that I’ve always been on the fence with the Kansas City Chiefs when it comes time to sit down and watch Sunday night football with my dad, a tradition we’ve bonded over for almost a decade. After feeling constant disappointment throughout the years, now is the time that all the pieces fall into place.

Why?

They have Patrick Mahomes.

The 24-year-old was picked up by the Chiefs during the 2017 draft. By sitting behind Alex Smith for a year, he learned. Then, during his first year as a starter, Mahomes broke the NFL record for the most touchdown passes through a quarterback in their first three career games. He also won back-to-back player of the week awards at the beginning of his season, and — oh yeah — was named NFL MVP.

Mahomes is the reason Kansas City will win the Super Bowl, plain and simple. Here’s why.

1. Quick hands and feet

Mahomes isn’t afraid to throw the ball. In fact, he’s thrown for roughly 4,000 yards this season.

Teams can often become “too comfortable” running the ball because it seems like the safer approach to gaining yards without a risk of interception. But with Mahomes’s impressive QBR at 76.3 with only five interceptions — compared to Jimmy Garapolo’s 58.8 rating with 13 interceptions — throwing is no obstacle.

Mahomes is a risk-taker. And the 49ers are not.

On the flip side, Mahomes isn’t afraid to run the ball either. Just look at his touchdown run against Tennessee two weeks ago in the AFC Championship — you can’t take the man down.

2. Exceptional leadership

Quarterback is key to a successful offense. Mahomes brings strong leadership qualities game after game, which could be a main reason why the Chiefs are so successful.

A standout example of Mahomes’s leadership came during this season’s machup against Houston — one of the Chiefs’ lowest moments. With the Chiefs trailing the Texans 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, Mahomes told his teammates to keep believing.

The Chiefs defeated the Texans 51-31 after falling behind by a staggering 24 points after the first half. There’s no way Mahomes lets his team get down by that much again.

3. Staying humble through faith

When you’re as famous as Patrick Mahomes, keeping your pride in check is no easy task. I believe Mahomes is successful because of his humble disposition and religious attitude.

When asked about his faith, Mahomes responded by saying, “My faith has always been a big part of what I do . . . I’ve grown up in church, and [faith] really helps you know why you’re playing the game and who you’re doing it for.”

Mahomes expresses his faith on and off the field, which ultimately keeps him grounded. He has God on his side, so the Chiefs are a shoo-in to win.

-Morgan Anderson