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Three Observations From Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Jose Luis Sanchez III | Last updated Feb 6, 2024 2:02 AM ET

LAS VEGAS -- The first step towards Super Bowl LVIII was officially taken on Monday with opening night at Allegiant Stadium.

This is where everyone from the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs essentially conduct an open forum. Here are three observations I found interesting from my time there.

49ers fans took over the Allegiant

I can't say for certain if there were any Kansas City fans at opening night. That is because every time a Chiefs player was viewed on screen, they were met with thunderous boos. A 49ers player, however, was met with boisterous cheers that echoed throughout Allegiant. The 49ers fans were definitely in abundance tonight and it wasn't even close. If the 49ers can get that replicated in the Super Bowl, then the Chiefs will have to use a silent count on offense.

Niner fans booing at the top of their lungs for Travis Kelce #49ers || #FTTB

pic.twitter.com/9JkIXWLduL
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) February 6, 2024

Kyle Shanahan has a lot of "fun"

Opening night can be viewed as a moment of celebration for the two teams that have made it this far. It is only fair for them to feel joyous and want to seize the moment to appreciate how far they have come. Well, Kyle Shanahan made sure to maximize that as he sounded like he may have had a beer or two. From the way he was speaking, he sounded out of character and had some slur in his words. I mean, there is no rule against anyone wanting to quench their thirst is there? Of course, he could've easily just been elated and overcome with emotions, but it definitely seemed as if he was having a lot of "fun" before.

#49ers Kyle Shanahan kept it on Brock Purdy and explained how he knew Brock was his guy early on pic.twitter.com/5sGnxKyZML
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) February 6, 2024

49ers were perfectly at ease

This is extremely important. Being tight in the leadup to the Super Bowl would not have been a good look at all. Of course, the big game is still six days away, but the first step to make it all real began today. It could've easily made any player tight or uncomfortable. I didn't get that sense at all from the several players I spoke too and just from seeing all the smiles and laughs others were sharing as I passed them by. So far, so good to start off the week for the 49ers aside from subpar practice field conditions.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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