We have our teams for Super Bowl LVIII. The San Francisco 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs. In hindsight, we all should have seen this coming.
The 49ers have been the best team all season except, ironically, against the Baltimore Ravens, who beat them during the year. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have the best quarterback in the league and he turned it on when it counted most.
Looking back, it didn’t have to be this way. Both the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions could have pulled off victories in the AFC and NFC Championship Games, respectively.
Let’s start with the Ravens. Against the Chiefs, they all but abandoned the strength of their team, which was the run. They were one of the best rushing teams in the league but they tried to pass their way to victory.
Don’t get me wrong, Lamar Jackson is not a bad passer, but he’s not Tom Brady either. His strength is running the football first, then passing. That’s what they’ve been doing all season, but for some reason, they didn’t do that Sunday.
It reminded me of the Alabama Crimson Tide offense at the beginning of the 2023 season with Jalen Milroe. Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees didn’t know what to do with Milroe at first. Finally, against Tennessee, he used the run to open up the pass. Once he figured that out, the Tide literally started rolling.
Why Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monkon abandoned the threat of the run on Sunday is beyond understanding. It was a great season but a wasted opportunity for the likely MVP of the league.
As for the Lions, they had a 24-7 lead at the half on Sunday and seemed destined to make it to their first Super Bowl. But you just knew the 49ers would make a comeback, and they did. Give the 49ers credit for the comeback but the Lions also gave that game away.
Head coach Dan Campbell lost that game for his team by being too arrogant and hard-headed to not take the points when they were given to him. Had he kicked two critical field goals instead of going for it twice, the Lions might be headed to the Super Bowl right now.
Campbell must have thought he was Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who is known to be a gambler during games, something that has cost him on several occasions.
Campbell has to be smarter than this and maybe he’ll learn this for the next time the Lions find themselves with a chance to play in the Super Bowl. If that ever happens again.
But for now, the Lions and Ravens are left to wonder “What If?” all offseason long.
