Taylor Swift is prepared to fly back after her concert in Japan to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs as they face the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy loom as your obvious candidates to play defining roles as the respective quarterbacks of their teams, but it is from within the Chiefs’ young receiving core that a hero could emerge after a season marred by dropped catches and heavy scrutiny.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling was on hand to provide a clutch third-and-nine catch that would ice his side’s win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Mahomes has had to adopt a more patient approach to building and sustaining drives in the face of modern defenses,

but when the opportunity to take a shot downfield emerges Valdes-Scantling tends to be a popular splash target. Will he be there to answer the call when it comes? As much might be said for Rashee Rice, whose rise as Mahomes’ most trusted wide receiver outside of Travis Kelce has heightened expectations and attention surrounding the rookie second-rounder.

For San Francisco, there may be no man under more pressure or burdened by expectation heading into Sunday’s Super Bowl than 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. He might be the NFL’s most innovative modern offensive mind, but has been accused of conservativeness in crucial moments during previous attempts to win a Championship. H