Intrigue all over field in rematch for crown

LAS VEGAS — This might not have been the Super Bowl those not residing in the San Francisco and Kansas City areas wanted, but this is the Super Bowl we’ve got. There are those who are tired of the Chiefs, because they make it this far so often and now add in the Travis KelceTaylor Swift phenomenon to annoy the grumps of the world.

There are those who cannot embrace the 49ers, mainly because the Lions were such a delightful, upstart story, and, holy smokes, they were headed to the big game before a huge meltdown in the second half of the NFC Championship game.

You either have to be a sore loser or a true hater to not embrace what we have before us Sunday inside Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl LVIII.

Any game including Patrick Mahomes is worth watching, because he is currently the best in the business, and if you take a bathroom break you might miss him doing something astonishing.

Any game showcasing the offensive designs and wizardry of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers has the potential for fireworks. Any game where Kelce and George Kittle line up at tight end is worthy of our attention. Any game with Christian McCaffrey in it is fun.

Any game involving Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs’ defensive guru and big-game hunter, offers intrigue. Any game with Nick Bosa on one side and Chris Jones on the other steaming in to collapse the pocket might involve mayhem. And, any Super Bowl where the last player picked in an entire NFL draft is a starting quarterback gives hope to all those downtrodden teams out there who can look out and say, “Why the heck can’t we find our Brock Purdy?’’

This is a rematch of Super Bowl LIV, won by the Chiefs, 31-20, four years ago. It is a case of déjà vu for the Chiefs, who are in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the past five years — only the Patriots (201418) and the Bills (1990-93) can make that claim. The Chiefs are looking to accomplish something that is a rarity nowadays: win back-to-back Super Bowls. The last repeat winner was the 2003-04 Patriots.

There was a time when the 49ers seemed to be annual Super Bowl participants. Yet they have not claimed a Lombardi Trophy in 29 years.

Mahomes will be the first to ever start at quarterback in the Super Bowl four times before the age of 30. He won it for the first time as a 24-year-old and is looking for ring No. 3 as a 28-year-old. He was named MVP of Super Bowls LIV, over the 49ers, and LVII, last season over the Eagles.

Though Reid is seeking his third Super Bowl victory with the Chiefs, Shanahan is looking for redemption in the biggest game of them all. This time around, Shanahan has Purdy, and not Jimmy Garoppolo, running perhaps the league’s most creative attack. Purdy, 24, will be the third-youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. The Niners are 21-4 with him as their starter.

The 49ers got here the hard way, needing playoff comebacks against the Packers and Lions. The Chiefs, after smacking the Dolphins in the first round showed their revolve, outlasting the Bills (27-24) and Ravens (17-10) with impressive performances on the road.

Not the game you wanted? Odds are it will be something worth watching.