C-Mac attack

San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey is the NFL’s most dynamic offensive player that doesn’t play quarterback.

His versatility is what makes him such a weapon. He’s as dangerous between the tackles as he is outside the numbers. He’s also just as likely to go through tacklers as he is to go around them.

McCaffrey possesses elite receiving skills as well. He finished second in the league in receiving yards among running backs and first in receiving touchdowns. He’s even capable of throwing the ball on occasion.

His presence is what takes coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense from dangerous to lethal.

YAC

The 49ers offense hums because of how well they generate yards after the catch.

Quarterback Brock Purdy may not be Patrick Mahomes, but he doesn’t have to be in this system. Shanahan’s scheme creates opportunities for receivers to get the ball in space.

San Francisco has the perfect set of playmakers to take full advantage of that. The Chiefs are good in coverage, but they’ll have to tackle well to hang in this game.

The 49ers lead the NFL by gaining an average of 6.5 yards after the catch per reception.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is one of the team’s best players with the ball in his hands. He averages 8.8 yards gained after the catch. He’s led the NFL in that stat each of the past four seasons.

Blitz beaters

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves dialing up blitzes.

That’s risky against the 49ers.

The Chiefs blitz 37 percent of the time, the fourth-most in the NFL. They often send an extra defensive back at the quarterback and are sound enough in coverage to not get burned while doing so.

San Francisco could put that to the test. Purdy ranks fifth in the NFL in yards per attempt and touchdowns when he is pressured. He can turn the ball over when blitzed, but when he avoids mistakes he makes defenses pay. Sending an extra rusher at Purdy also gives 49ers receivers more room to run if the team is able to complete a pass under pressure.

Shutting down the airspace

The 49ers can be beaten on the ground, but they’re very good against the pass.

The question is whether the Chiefs are willing to be patient with their run game to take advantage. They tend to put games in the hands of their all-world quarterback in Mahomes and his magical right arm.

It’s a gamble to challenge Mahomes, but the 49ers defense is designed to trap teams into throwing the ball.

They’ve got an elite pass rusher in Nick Bosa, two amazing linebackers in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw and a solid secondary.

This is a strength-on-strength matchup in which San Francisco may be up to the task.

One final key

The 49ers have been tested this postseason.

They overcame uneven performances to stage second-half rallies in each of their first two postseason games.

They shouldn’t panic if they fall behind, and they should remain confident they can come back.

Whether that’s enough to avenge their 31-20 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 is unknown. But the team should be more seasoned the second time around.

The Patrick Mahomes factor

As if quarterback Mahomes’ place in NFL history wasn’t already cemented with two Super Bowl wins, he added to the legacy even more by reaching another championship game.

Only it’s not that he got to Super Bowl 58. It’s how he got to it.

Mahomes had never played a road playoff game until this season, and some wondered if venturing away from the familiar confines of Kansas City would be what finally did him in.

Ha.

First, Mahomes took down the Bills and Josh Allen in Buffalo. Then he went to Baltimore and beat the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, the favorite to win NFL MVP honors.

After all that, will you bet against Mahomes at Allegiant Stadium, where he’s never lost?

Travis Kelce’s and Taylor Swift’s power

The Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end is expected to have the world’s most famous football fan in the stadium cheering for him. Of course, we are talking about Swift, the mega pop star who is dating Kelce.

As if that isn’t enough motivation for Kelce, keep in mind Swift won a Grammy for Album of the Year over the weekend. So now you have the ultra-talented Kelce motivated by the presence of his girlfriend and the possibility of hanging a Super Bowl MVP trophy alongside Swift’s Grammy award.

Enough said.

Chiefs defense is really good

The 17.3 points per game the Chiefs surrendered this season was the second-fewest in the NFL.

That is scary enough as is.

But it gets dicey for the 49ers because they have been getting off to slow starts during the playoffs by falling behind the Packers and Lions.

If their recent trend continues, this game might be over sooner rather than later.

The Chiefs defense is better than that of the Packers and Lions, so if you’re expecting the 49ers to be able to ease their way into the Super Bowl and find another gear in the fourth quarter, that’s not going to happen against a defense as good as Kansas City’s.

Andy Reid

The Chiefs didn’t entirely rip up their playbook midway through the season, but when they shifted from a passing team to more of a run-centric attack, they found the identity they had lacked earlier in the season.

That goes straight to their coach, Reid, who historically prefers a heavy passing attack but understood the need to make a change. That’s what great coaching is all about, and it shows that Reid remains on top of his game.

He also understands the more balanced attack fits perfectly with the Chiefs’ stingy defense.

And lest you forget, if the Super Bowl does become a shootout, Reid has a full playbook to meet the moment.

Chiefs are playing for history

Mahomes, Kelce and Reid are football historians, and talking to them this week you get the feeling they know what is at stake.

It’s nothing less than being talked about as one of the greatest teams of all time. To win two straight Super Bowls and three in five years is big stuff. The stuff people talk about for decades.

They are not about to let that chance slip through their hands.