The Kansas City Chiefs come to Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon for a Super Bowl LIV rematch with the 49ers. Had it occurred last season, or the season before that, or even in the first week or two of this one, it would have included one of the coolest subplots in football. The two-week hype cycle leading up to that title game, in February 2020, leaned heavily on the question of who was the NFL’s best tight end, and it was the rare talking-head prompt that didn’t get old.
The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had gaudier numbers and more balletic highlights but abdicated something of the soul of the position.