Finally.

Super Bowl LVIII weekend has arrived. Not only is this the only time I ever pay attention to Roman numerals, it’s also the only time of year I actually try to predict the outcome of a game.

Though my track record in predicting the Super Bowl winner is not the greatest — my crowning achievement was correctly calling Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent as MVP in the game 38 years ago — I’ll keep taking a shot at this.

There are so many potential story lines to this game.

Do the Kansas City Chiefs take another step toward that dreaded “dynasty” word?

Does Brock Purdy go from being the last player taken in the draft to becoming a Super Bowl champion quarterback in just two years?

Does Kyle Shanahan get over the hump and become a Super Bowl winning coach?

Will this game mark a storybook climax to the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift love affair that has swept the nation?

All of these are possibilities. But for me, this matchup comes down to which team can control the football and tempo of the game better than the other.

That’s where 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey comes in. When San Francisco acquired him from Carolina a couple of years back, it was with winning the Super Bowl in mind. That may have happened last year had Purdy not gotten hurt early in the NFC Championship Game.

McCaffrey is a bruising back who can also break away from the secondary. The 49ers will use him a lot on Sunday. But Shanahan may not play that hand right away.

The Chiefs’ run defense is flawed and Kansas City’s coaching staff knows that. KC will likely load the box early defensively and try to force Purdy to beat them throwing the football.

I see Shanahan countering that by using play-action and the many weapons the 49ers have in the passing game, such as Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Once KC’s defense is forced to spread out, here comes McCaffrey.

Patrick Mahomes is Patrick Mahomes, a very good big-game quarterback. The skilled people around him do not match San Francisco’s and that difference will play out. Mahomes will have to win the game for the Chiefs. Purdy merely has to avoid the critical mistake for the 49ers.

This should be a good game, to be sure. If the 49ers have the lead in the fourth quarter, they have the line in front of McCaffrey that can control things from there. If they are trailing in the fourth, they have the ability to put a game-winning drive together the same way.

When healthy, San Francisco has looked like the best team in the NFL this season.

The 49ers are healthy now and will look that way again.

I like the 49ers, 27-21, with McCaffrey running for over 100 yards and being named the game’s MVP.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle