They were 13-3 and the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season.

They rolled through playoff opponents Minnesota and Green Bay with little difficulty.

Yet the San Francisco 49ers feel somewhat disrespected entering Super Bowl LIV Sunday against Kansas City. Many of their players believe they will not earn the respect due them unless they defeat the Chiefs.

The 49ers, after all, came within a foot or so of losing to Seattle in the final game of the regular season and having to enter the playoffs as a wild-card.

San Francisco will, however, complete a remarkable season Sunday night by winning the Lombardi Trophy in Miami. The 49ers are slight underdogs and are facing a Kansas City team that features the fastest receivers in football, perhaps the best quarterback in football in Pat Mahomes and a sentimental choice in head coach Andy Reid.

Between Philadelphia and Kansas City, Reid has been coaching a long time without ever grabbing the brass ring.

His frustration will continue — because the 49ers have a roster built to beat the Chiefs.

While Kansas City has the fastest receivers, San Francisco has the fastest defense in the NFL. The 49ers, in fact, have allowed the fewest yards by an NFL team since the 2009 New York Jets.

Mahomes is extremely mobile and can throw on the run. But Nick Bosa, Aric Armstrad and DeForest Buckner are among 49er defensive linemen with a multitude of quarterback sacks — and they are athletic enough to contain Mahomes.

And the San Francisco defense is quick enough to stay with his receivers.

Even if Mahomes and company do get on a roll — and, yes, they're known to do that — KC's possessions may be limited by the San Francisco offense.

Indeed, the Chiefs found a way to stop Derrick Henry in the second half of their AFC title win over Tennessee. The Titans do not have the versatility offensively that the 49ers possess, however.

Tevin Coleman ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns in San Francisco's playoff win over Muinnesota. Raheem Mostert got loose for 220 yards and four TDs on the ground in the NFC title win over the Packers.

And don't forget Matt Breida, a big part of his team's three-headed running attack.

Kansas City has Travis Kelce at tight end. The 49ers can counter with George Kittle. Jimmy Garoppolo threw only 27 total passes in his team's two playoff wins.

That doesn't mean Garoppolo can't launch the ball. He threw for 3,978 yards while completing 69 percent of his passes during the regular season.

The 49er defense is fast. Their offense is versatile.

They are the real deal.

The Chiefs will find the end zone because that's what the Chiefs do. They just won't find it often enough.

I like San Francisco, 31-24. Garoppolo will be MVP because KC will focus on the ground game defensively, setting him up for a big game.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle