Super Bowl LVIII Picks

I probably played a total of three hours of Madden 24 this season, so I was woefully underprepared for my annual Super Bowl sim.

Madden Sim summary

Using Matt 10's All-Pro slider set (Version 9), I followed my usual rule of playing the first half with the team I'm rooting for and the second half with the other team.

I opened the game controlling the Chiefs. I lost the coin toss and kicked to the 49ers. After forcing punts on each of San Francisco's first two possessions, I opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal with 3:51 left in the first quarter. I had a decent drive going on my first possession until, who else, Kadarius Toney let a ball slip through his hands and Fred Warner got the pick off the deflection.

The defensive battle continued through much of the second quarter until Isiah Pacheco broke through with an 83-yard run on a 1-play touchdown drive with 4:22 left in the half. Another defensive stop gave me a chance to further extend my lead, but a second Mahomes interception turned the momentum in San Francisco's favor. Brock Purdy led a touchdown drive, with Elijah Mitchell punching it in from 5 yards out.

While I did all I could in the closing second of the half, a 61-yard Harrison Butker field goal fell just a few yards short. I'd given the Chiefs a 10-7 halftime lead before switching sides to control San Francisco.

The second half featured much better offense on both sides. After helping the Chiefs get their only three sacks of the game in the first half, I quickly got the 49ers their only two sacks of the game early in the third quarter. That allowed me to open the second half scoring. Christian McCaffrey missed most of the first half after taking a hard hit on the first play of the game, but he came back for the third quarter and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to give San Francisco its first lead of the game.

From there on, offenses took over. Three and a half minutes after CMC's touchdown, Rashee Rice caught a touchdown pass from 12 yards out. San Francisco retook the lead on their next drive, with Brock Purdy throwing a dime over the top of the defense to Brandon Aiyuk from 31 yards out with 9:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, that was their last score. A long drive by the Chiefs resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on 4th down, and then a Brock Purdy interception gave the Chiefs the ball with 2:12 remaining. Isiah Pacheco ultimately scored from 16 yards out and Kansas City came away with its third Super Bowl title in the last five years.

Final Score: Kansas City Chiefs - 31, San Francisco 49ers - 21
MVP: Isiah Pacheco

Notable Stats from Madden Sim:

Passing

• Patrick Mahomes (25-39, 309 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT)

• Brock Purdy (21-31, 239 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT)

Rushing

• Isiah Pacheco (12 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD)

• Christian McCaffrey (9 carries, 51 yards)

• Elijah Mitchell (10 carries, 22 yards, TD)

• Brock Purdy (1 carry, 15 yards)

Receiving

• Rashee Rice (8 catches, 100 yards, TD)

• Travis Kelce (7 catches, 87 yards)

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling (3 catches, 31 yards, TD)

• Brandon Aiyuk (8 catches, 112 yards, TD)

• George Kittle (5 catches, 70 yards)

• Deebo Samuel (5 catches, 38 yards)

• Christian McCaffrey (1 catch, 3 yards, TD)

The 49ers have the better offense and the means to attack Kansas City's poor rushing defense. They should be able to move the football and put up points, but the Chiefs will likely be able to answer the bell with a rejuvenated offense going up against a suddenly-leaky San Francisco defense.

The game will likely come down to coaching and quarterback play. Andy Reid tends to thrive with extra preparation time, while Kyle Shanahan often outsmarks himself. I don't even have the mention the quarterback disparity.

Final Score: Kansas City Chiefs - 24, San Francisco 49ers - 20
MVP: Chris Jones

Final Score: Kansas City Chiefs - 34, San Francisco 49ers - 31
MVP: Patrick Mahomes