Five 49ers to watch in Super Bowl vs. Chiefs: All eyes on Jimmy Garoppolo

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MIAMI, Fla. -- The stars come out for the Super Bowl.

And the 49ers certainly will look to their top players to show up in Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Therefore, here are the 49ers’ top five players to watch at Hard Rock Stadium with the Lombard Trophy on the line:

5. LT Joe Staley

Six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley is the only player from the 49ers’ last Super Bowl team that will see action in Sunday’s game. All the longest-tenured 49ers player is lacking is a ring. This is a great chance for him to accomplish that.

Staley is playing very well after missing a large portion of the season due to injuries. First, he sustained a fractured left leg. Then, he missed several weeks with a broken finger, which required surgery.

He will face a big challenge on Sunday against Chiefs edge rusher Frank Clark, whom he knows well from their days as opponents when Clark played for the Seattle Seahawks. Clark registered eight sacks in the regular season after piling up 13 sacks in his final season in Seattle.

4. CB Richard Sherman

Richard Sherman brought a lot to the 49ers even before he fully recovered from his torn Achilles. He had an OK first season with the 49ers. But this season, he earned his way back onto the NFC Pro Bowl team.

Sherman faces his biggest challenge of the season, as he goes against the Kansas City Chiefs’ explosive set of wide receivers. At various times, he will find himself in coverage against Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman.

How much will Patrick Mahomes go to Sherman’s side? Will the 49ers leave Sherman to go handle things on own and provide more help for Emmanuel Moseley on the other side?

Sherman was on a Super Bowl-winning team with the Seattle Seahawks. His play will help determine whether he earns another ring with the 49ers.

3. TE George Kittle

Whether he is doing his job as a run-blocker or whether he’s amassing yards after the catch, tight end George Kittle has been the 49ers’ best offensive player for the past two seasons. He is probably the team’s best player. Period.

If Kyle Shanahan can scheme up some mismatches against the Chiefs’ linebackers, Kittle has the chance to have a huge day. Kansas City certainly will try a lot of different things in covering Kittle, with the possibility of all-purpose defensive back Tyrann Mathieu getting some one-on-one action against him, too.

2. DEs Nick Bosa/Dee Ford

The 49ers lacked a presence at edge rusher last season. This year, they made a dramatic improvement in the offseason with the trade to acquire Dee Ford and the selection of Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Ford was acquired from the Chiefs, and here he is, in the Super Bowl with something to prove against his former team.

He had a good week of practice, and his legs are fresh for the biggest game of the year. The 49ers’ best hopes of containing Mahomes are with Ford crashing down from one end, while Bosa is applying pressure from the other side.

Bosa is a strong candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering nine sacks and playing well against the run. He added three sacks in the 49ers’ first two postseason games.

[RELATED: How Ford has moved on from key offsides penalty with Chiefs]

1. QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo might not be the 49ers’ best player. But, on this day, he is their most important player, for sure.

The entire feeling around the 49ers changed in the middle of the 2017 season when general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan decided to accept the New England Patriots’ offer of a second-round pick for Garoppolo.

This is why they got him. And you can be sure the 49ers will not be able to win this game with Garoppolo attempting just eight passes, as he did in the 49ers’ 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers have to rely on Garoppolo’s arm to outduel Mahomes on Sunday.

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