Super Bowl LVIII is going to take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 and it can’t be ignored that this matchup has been many fans’ worst nightmare. The Kansas City Chiefs will be playing against the San Francisco 49ers. The pair previously played head-to-head in Super Bowl LIV, which was four years ago. It’s a very popular take that there are only three groups excited for this Super Bowl matchup– Chiefs fans, 49ers fans and Taylor Swift fans.

I had very high expectations for 2024’s matchup. This NFL season had new talent, lots of drama and unexpected player and team comebacks. Many teams that have never won a Super Bowl were in the playoffs, such as the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions, so there was a lot of potential for a great matchup. Instead of getting teams we have never seen win before, we got the complete opposite. I agree with many fans that this was the dreaded Super Bowl matchup and a boring way for the season to end. All we can hope for now is a competitive game. 

It might still be a sore subject for Detroit Lions fans, but we all know the Lions should’ve been getting ready right now to play in Super Bowl LVIII. The second half collapse of the offense and defense led to a huge comeback for the 49ers in the NFC Championship. Dropped passes were happening left and right and a potential interception hit the Lions in the helmet. Deflecting for a catch, the aggressive call to pass up on two field goals led to the fall of the Detroit Lions. No matter what fans want to blame the loss on, the once in a lifetime opportunity to play in the Super Bowl is in the past now.

The Ravens should’ve been getting ready to play in the big game too, but they had one too many costly plays at crucial moments. In the AFC Championship, the Ravens’ defense showed up to play and even held the Chiefs to no offensive touchdowns in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. The Ravens just couldn’t capitalize in game-defining moments. They threw an interception, fumbled in the endzone and even got a taunting penalty that may have altered the game’s outcome. The taunting call on Zay Flowers, the Ravens’ wide receiver, sparked conversation on X, bringing Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce into the conversation. Fans called out Kelce for taunting and not getting any flags, while the Ravens got one instantly. Regardless, the Ravens offense didn’t show up in their biggest game of the season. The chance to see the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the best dual-threat quarterback, play in the Super Bowl is gone.

No one else really wanted this pairing and I know this was the only matchup I didn’t want. Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs is going to his fourth Super Bowl in four years. After embarrassing himself this season for crying to the refs about an opponent and a call, he was the last quarterback I wanted in the Super Bowl. Others didn’t want the Chiefs to go to the Super Bowl simply because they couldn’t bear to see Swift on screen after every Chiefs’ touchdown.

Both teams have talent and made it to the Super Bowl for a reason, but I couldn’t picture a more boring scenario coming out of a playoff bracket with so much potential. I think that many people wish both teams could lose and will be tuning in because this is the only game they will get. People this year will be more focused on their bets and rooting for someone to lose than the game itself.