Kay Adams asked her Good Morning Football co-hosts which of February's Super Bowl LIV participants is most likely to return to the big game. Will it be the champion Kansas City Chiefs or the runner-up San Francisco 49ers?
Running back Raheem Mostert sounded confident on Wednesday that it would be his 49ers. Not only did he predict a return trip to Florida, he expects his squad to walk away with the Lombardi Trophy this time.
"I feel like we're going to be back this year," Mostert said, "and we're actually going to win it. That's our goal; that's our mindset. We don't care what happened in the past. The past is the past, and we're going to move on, and we're going to dominate this game the way we know how to."
Two of Adams' three co-hosts picked the defending champs, though.
First, let's take a look at the two who picked the Chiefs over the 49ers. Peter Schrager credits each team's ability to keep its coaching staff mostly intact. But he notes that it is much tougher to lose the Super Bowl and get back.
"I love Raheem Mostert, but he's got to look around his running backs room and say, 'Ok, well, Matt Breida's not there anymore. I'm not sure what else we've got. Joe Staley (is) not protecting that side anymore.'"
It is worth noting that the 49ers replaced Staley, who retired in April, with seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams.
"He'll look across at the defensive line," Schrager continued, "'I like Javon Kinlaw, but that's not DeForest Buckner, who we had last year.' I am not sure that the Niners are even the favorites in the NFC right now."
Kyle Brandt took it a step further and said not only is he unsure that San Francisco is the favorite in the NFC, but he's not even sure it is the favorite in the NFC West anymore.
"It's really hard to get back after you lose," Brandt said. "It's especially hard when you're in a division that good."
Nate Burleson, however, did pick the Niners.
"The one thing that you can't game plan for is a dominant defense," explained Burleson. "You might be able to game plan for Pat Mahomes. You might. I know it's a reach, but you might. You can't game plan for getting beat up game in and game out.
"If that defense for San Francisco returns the same way, I'm going with San Fran returning first."
