AVENTURA, Fla. -- The San Francisco 49ers enter Super Bowl LIV with one checkmark in their favor over the Kansas City Chiefs: Super Bowl playing experience.
The 49ers boast seven players who have played in Super Bowls during their careers, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was the backup in two championship wins. Conversely, the Chiefs have just two players who have appeared in Super Bowls: Terrell Suggs and Stefen Wisniewski.
Heading into Sunday, Chiefs teammates have leaned on those two veterans for advice on how to handle the week.
"They ask me about what the game is like and compare it to how it was when I came last time," Suggs said. "And I was like, it's pretty much the same, it was just then I didn't get to enjoy it. We were under an extreme amount of pressure. But this team seems a lot more relaxed and seems like we play our best when we are relaxed. I just tell them to enjoy everything. Sunday will get here. Enjoy Tuesday ... enjoy Wednesday ... every minute of it. We've got one week before the Super Bowl, so we want to enjoy every minute."
Suggs' Super Bowl win came seven years ago with the Baltimore Ravens. Wisniewski's was more recent, with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.
Wisniewski said knowing how to handle the hoopla is vital to keep the team's routine.
"I think you know what to expect. Everyone's asking me for advice," he said. "What's this going to be like? So, it's nice the second time around just to have the experience, you're not surprised by what's coming."
His advice to younger teammates?
"A lot of things, I think the biggest one is just eliminate distractions and keep it as normal of preparation as possible," he said. "There's obviously things that are going to make it different, but for the most part, it's a football game. Treat it like another football game. Obviously, it's got bigger consequences than any game we've ever played in, but at the end of the day, you've got to focus on execution. You've got to focus on your assignment, your preparation, take care of your body, take care of your mental prep. On game day come with a great attitude, ready to work, trying to kick butt and win."
Chiefs teammates told NFL.com this week they've leaned on the two veterans to tip them off on how to handle the media obligations and wild atmosphere that can surround Super Bowls. Being tucked away in Aventura, Fla., miles north of Miami, has helped K.C. keep focused on the task at hand and not get swept up in the hyperbole that is Super Bowl week.
"It's easy to get distracted and to get caught up in everything," Suggs told NFL Network's James Palmer. "I think all of us, not just myself, but the team, is doing a good job of realizing this portion of it, but we know the reason why we're here, and it's to play another football game. To win the last football game of the year and to enjoy it. It's going to the biggest stage, there's no guarantee that you'll ever make it back here again. It took me eight years to get back. So, I've just told the guys to enjoy it."
K.C. might not have the edge in on-field experience, but coach Andy Reid is familiar with the Super Bowl, having taken the Eagles to SB XXXIX. Reid said he's made some minor changes to how he handles this week.
"The fact that you've been here, you've done it, if there's anything comfortable about it, it's that you've been there," he said. "You know what to expect coming down here, you can relay that to your team. You have an idea how you want to practice. If you haven't been here, you want to think that you can get a ton done down here practice-wise and meeting-wise, but you have other obligations. So, you better get it done back at your home facility, and then you can sharpen it up once you get here."
K.C. has tried to keep their practice routine as normal as possible this week, including a lighter workout on Wednesday, and full practice on Thursday, similar to the regular season.
The biggest challenge, according to left tackle Eric Fisher, is the long layoff between the AFC Championship Game and Sunday's Super Bowl.
"Don't peak too soon. Two weeks is a long time to prepare for one game," Fisher told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "Sometimes you can get a little repetitive, but you just try to find little new details in anything -- run game, pass game, technique, film study. You just try to find little details to consume this extra time. It's crazy how different two weeks of preparation is than one week. It's just a lot of repeat. But we know we've got a good challenge. We think it's going to be a great matchup, great game and something we've been dreaming about for a long time."
Chiefs players, to a man, seemed relaxed all week during media availability and have kept the atmosphere light. None are worried about inexperience being a factor. Nor should they. Once kickoff comes, it's just football.
"Every team is different. I really like this team, their attitude," Wisniewski said. "We have a swagger to us, but guys are just having fun. You watch Pat Mahomes throwing the ball around to Tyreek (Hill), (Travis) Kelce, and all these weapons he's got. They're just having fun with it. In walkthrough, in practice, they're having fun. I hate to say it, but it's kind of rare to see that. In the NFL, it kind of becomes a job, guys are, for the most part, guys are just coming in getting their job done, but these guys are actually enjoying what they're doing and I think you see that out on the field. It pays off."
Come Sunday night, the Chiefs hope that swagger pays off with a Lombardi Trophy headed to Kansas City.
Super Bowl LIV details
When is the Super Bowl? Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Where is the Super Bowl? Hard Rock Stadium will host the game in 2020, marking Miami's 11th time as Super Bowl host city.
*How to watch the Super Bowl: Tune in on Fox, with the NFL App, Yahoo Sports App, and on NFL.com. Check out more updates and info here. *
