Eleven contributors at NFL.com picked the Kansas City Chiefs not only to be in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season but to win it for the second time in three years. They are clearly the favorite among that staff.
Coming in with the second-most selections, though, are the San Francisco 49ers. Five contributors—Kevin Patra, Adam Rank, Gregg Rosenthal, Marc Sessler, and Lance Zierlein—have Kyle Shanahan's squad winning the whole thing. Two—Patra and Sessler—have San Francisco beating the Buffalo Bills. Rank has the Cleveland Browns as the Super Bowl runner-up. Rosenthal has the Niners topping the Baltimore Ravens, avenging Super Bowl 47. Finally, Zierlein has the 49ers topping the Chiefs in a Super Bowl 54 rematch.
How does this group envision San Francisco winning a championship? Patra, Rosenthal, and Sessler see the team doing something that no other has done in the past—getting there with a rookie quarterback.
"With Trey Lance unleased in Kyle Shanahan's offense, the Niners blast past the Bills in a shootout that leaves Buffalo once again a game shy in the Lombardi quest," wrote Patra.
"Trey Lance becomes the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl title after Fred Warner tips Lamar Jackson's potential game-winning throw at the buzzer," wrote Rosenthal.
Zierlein predicts both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance being a factor in the game, indicating that he believes the veteran will remain the starter until that point and that Lance will continue to be thrown into games to mix things up and frustrate opposing defenses.
"Kyle Shanahan exacts revenge against the Chiefs in a Super Bowl and finally brings home the Lombardi with touchdowns from both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance," wrote Zierlein.
While none of the 11 contributors who picks the Chiefs to win it all had them doing so against the 49ers, one of the three—Gennaro Filice—who picked the Bills to win Super Bowl 56, had them doing so against the 49ers.
What about the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Just three contributors picked them to repeat.
Super Bowl 56 is scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13, 2022.