It's only a 'Big Game' if you win

“I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since the Niners were last in the Super Bowl,” my friendly neighborhood grocer said to me the other night, stuffing my items into a reusable bag.

“Yeah, you’re ri ... ” I replied.

Wait a minute.

The 49ers were in the “Big Game” seven years ago, but took the first half off against the Baltimore Ravens. A second-half comeback gave us hope, but was stalled by some curious play-calling inside the Ravens’ 5-yard line in the closing minutes.

So, much like when that restoration company shows up at your home to clean up after a disaster, that Super Bowl appearance by San Francisco “was like it never even happened.”

But after several lean seasons since then, it’s nice to be back playing meaningful football games again, in Year 3 of the ShanaLynch regime.

After winning five Super Bowls in 14 seasons in the 1980s and early 90s, it’s easy to get a little spoiled, and think that’s just the way it should be.

But, while it’s finally nice for my team to be back in the “Big Game,” for some teams, it’s not enough just to get to a Super Bowl.

Who remembers Super Bowl losers — unless you’re fans of the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.

SO HOW can the up-and-coming 49ers beat the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl today?

The Chiefs have a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes who is allowed to run around and make plays (imagine if the Seahawks played that way for an entire game). They have speed on top of speed at all the skill positions.

The other quarterback for Team Insurance Company was easier to sack when the teams met during the regular season and in the NFC title game, because he more or less stayed in the pocket.

But the “pocket” for Mahomes is roughly 53 yards wide, and as deep as he wants to retreat to escape the rush. That’s a lot of ground for a bunch of linemen to cover.

Our back seven is pretty good, but — other than Richard Sherman — not great. Their success is predicated by a strong pass rush. If not ...

So, much like dogs who chase cars, hopefully Mahomes will run into one of our linemen a few times at key moments of the game.

And even at that, in today’s NFL, you pretty much are reduced to playing two-hand touch on the quarterback. The days of, say, a Dick Butkus chasing a quarterback to the sidelines and clotheslining him into the bench are long gone.

Other than their use of players who have run afoul of the law, there’s not much to hate about the Chiefs — yet.

The last time they played in the Super Bowl — 50 years ago — the NFL and AFL hadn’t even merged yet.

I even rooted for Kansas City that year, to beat the aforementioned Vikings.

On Super Sunday in January 1970, our basketball team was playing a Catholic School league game at some school somewhere across town in Salem, Ore.

After we played, and while our older team was playing, some of us wandered the halls of said school, happened upon an unlocked classroom with a working TV, and watched Len Dawson, Otis Taylor and Co. triumph on a muddy Tulane Stadium field in New Orleans.

PERHAPS TODAY, the 49ers will be the ones “matriculating the ball down the field” against the Chiefs.

Much like the Green Bay Packers in their glory days of the 1960s, San Francisco “ran to daylight” in both of its playoff victories this year — 47 times against the Vikings, 42 times against the Packers two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Jimmy G threw just 27 times in the two games combined, including 8 in the NFC title game.

The Niners must be afraid to put the game in Jimmy G’s hands, the detractors said.

Gee, I don’t know.

Being able to run the football on somebody, racking up first down after first down even though they know you’re going to run it but they still can’t stop you, has to be one of the most dominating, demoralizing things that one team can do to another during a football game.

So we’ll see.

Jimmy G did throw 13 interceptions, so the pause has some merit, but he also threw for nearly 4,000 yards, with 27 touchdown passes. And that’s to a receiving corps that is not nearly as deep and talented as the Chiefs have.

It’s a testament to the scheming genius of the “Shana” portion of ShanaLynch that the 49ers are able to move the ball as well as they do.

San Fran does have some talent, but not nearly as much as the 49ers will have after a few more seasons under this regime.

Meanwhile, hopefully we can slow the Chiefs down enough times today to outscore them.

One thing’s for sure — one of Joe Montana’s former teams will win today.

Let’s just hope it’s the one he led to four Super Bowl titles.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.