Preds Players Make Super Bowl LVIII Predictions

Of the 114 million people predicted to tune in as the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, roughly two dozen of them will be the Nashville Predators.

So, how does one group of elite athletes view another?

Will Patrick Mahomes repeat with the Chiefs and earn his third Super Bowl ring, or will underdog Brock Purdy complete the Cinderella story and carry the 49ers to their first championship since 1995?

Here’s how several players in the Predators lineup see the big game shaking out:

Team San Francisco

Though Filip Forsberg forged a new celebrity friendship with Justin Bieber at the All-Star Game this past weekend, 49ers tight end George Kittle is still No. 1 in the forward’s heart.

“George is still number one,” Forsberg said. “Bieber was awesome, but he’s got a long way to go to get to George’s level.”

Consider Forsberg firmly in favor of San Francisco this weekend. Of note, of all the Predators polled, Forsberg predicted the widest final score margin at 30-17. 

With his fiancée’s family staunchly in San Francisco’s camp, forward Cody Glass is wisely pulling for the 49ers on Sunday.

“The Chiefs have won it enough,” Glass said. “They’ve won twice in the last five years, or whatever it is. So, the 49ers have got to win it.”

Put Glass down for San Francisco, with a predicted final score of 27-21. 

Forward Michael McCarron predicted a high-scoring affair, with the 49ers ultimately coming out on top by a 34-30 decision. 

Kiefer Sherwood rounded out the group with the tightest score prediction, a 30-28 final in favor of San Francisco. 

“Who’s picking the Chiefs?” Sherwood asked after locking in his prediction. 

Team Kansas City

A good number of Sherwood’s teammates picked the Chiefs, as it turns out.

As a back-to-back champion himself, defenseman Ryan McDonagh knows what it takes to repeat and sees that very quality in Kansas City’s quarterback.

“I am rooting for Brock Purdy, but if my life was on the line and I had to choose, I don’t think I’d bet against Mahomes,” McDonagh said.

Fellow Stanley Cup champion Ryan O’Reilly, who famously donned a Chiefs bucket ahead of the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition (Google it), sided with Mahomes as well.

“I feel for Mahomes,” O’Reilly said. “The things he’s gone through, he’s just unbelievable… And I think it’ll be a good game. It’s two good teams, but it’s crazy how far Kansas City has come from early on in the year, when everyone thought they’d lost it and they were no longer the team, to now. The teams they’ve beaten and how well they’ve played, I think they’re going to use that momentum and find a way to get it done.”

While O’Reilly called a close 20-17 final in favor of the Chiefs, both McDonagh and fellow blueliner Dante Fabbro imagined Kansas City winning by a wider margin, and picked an identical final score of 31-24.

Tommy Novak voiced a similar opinion, predicting a 28-21 final for Kansas City.

“It’s hard to bet against Mahomes,” he said.

We Love You, Baltimore

If they’ve had it their way, Luke Evangelista and Cole Smith would’ve spent Sunday cheering on Lamar Jackson and the ‘Big Truss’ Baltimore Ravens.

“Me and Smitty had the Ravens going all the way,” Evangelista said. “Now, maybe I’ll go with San Francisco. That’d be cool; Brock Purdy and the boys.”

Final score?

“We haven’t even done our squares yet,” Evangelista said. “But I’m going to say 28-21; a tight one.”

The Super Gourmand 

Every Super Bowl watch party needs snacks, and Yakov Trenin, who’s as formidable in the kitchen as he is on the ice, would no doubt elevate any party smart enough to extend an invite.

While he was quick to predict a 27-21 Chiefs victory, Trenin took his time marinating on a worthy side dish.

“It could be anything?” he asked.

Anything.

“Some sort of dumplings, probably,” he answered.

Regardless of who lifts the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, we can know with certainty that whoever gets Trenin to their watch party on Sunday will be eating well.

Team Commercials

Of course, for every Super Bowl party there’s also at least one person there for the commercials.

In the Predators locker room, that person is Philip Tomasino. 

“I don’t really watch much football, I’m a Canadian kid,” he said. “Honestly, I like watching the commercials more, and the halftime show. But actually, it’s the one football game I’ll watch all year.”

TL;DR

Will any of the Preds hit the nail on the head this Sunday? Or will they all fall wildly off the mark? Here’s the full quick list of final scores for Super Bowl LVIII:

Filip Forsberg: 30-17, San Francisco

Cody Glass: 27-21, San Francisco

Luke Evangelista: 28-21, San Francisco

Kiefer Sherwood: 30-28, San Francisco

Michael McCarron: 34-30, San Francisco

Tommy Novak: 28-21, Kansas City

Ryan McDonagh: 31-24, Kansas City

Dante Fabbro: 31-24, Kansas City

Ryan O’Reilly: 20-17, Kansas City

Yakov Trenin: 27-21, Kansas City