How the NFC West rivals of the Chiefs believe they can defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl 58

How the NFC West rivals of the Chiefs believe they can defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl 58

The Chiefs and 49ers will square off in Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a few short days.

This Chiefs offense hasn’t looked like a Patrick Mahomes offensive this season, even if we normally wouldn’t bet against him, especially in the postseason. There’s no assurance the Chiefs can pull off a 2020 in Miami, and the Niners are a formidable club.

On Super Bowl Sunday, how can the Chiefs defeat the Niners? Their NFC West competitors are the best people to inform us.

Alexander Mookie, Field Gulls

As a supporter of the Seattle Seahawks, it pains me to admit that the San Francisco 49ers have the makings of a dynasty. The Niners have become a formidable team again under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, as seen by their four NFC Championship trips in five seasons. The only thing lacking is a Super Bowl victory, which I sincerely hope doesn’t happen. Their 5-0 record (a total 148-72) versus the Seahawks over the previous two seasons is terrible enough.

All things considered, the 49ers own maybe the strongest roster in the NFL, despite not having the deepest group at every position. All around, San Francisco features Christian McCaffrey at running back, Kyle Juszczyk at fullback, Debbie Samuel at wide receiver, George Kittle at tight end, Trent Williams at left tackle, Nick Bosa at edge rusher, Charvarius Ward at outside corner, and Fred Warner at middle linebacker. Next up is Brock Purdy. Regardless of your opinion on him as a “system quarterback,” his numbers are consistent with a season worthy of an MVP award. I would argue that he manages the system pretty damn effectively.

This is, without a doubt, the strongest offense Kyle Shanahan has had as the 49ers head coach, especially with Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy in his scheme for the entire season. There’s no arguing your offense’s superiority when you rank first in DVOA (pass and rush rankings), EPA/play, yards per play, and points per drive. Holding down San Francisco’s skill position players for the duration of a game is nearly impossible with Shanahan’s plan and the outstanding talent at his disposal. Their three-game losing run was undoubtedly influenced by Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams’ ailments, but this year they have escaped the kind of devastating injuries that have destroyed seasons in the past.

We should take a close look at the 49ers’ desperate need for another game-winning play.

While the Chiefs’ defense struggled to force turnovers in the regular season, they were able to force three against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship. San Francisco has had nine games this season (including the playoffs) without committing a turnover, but 11 of their 19 giveaways are concentrated in losses to the Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals. Therefore, I would expect Steve Spagnuolo to go deep into his trick bag and unleash as many coverage disguises on Brock Purdy as possible to pressure him into making riskier throws and poor decisions.

Under first-year coordinator Steve Wilks, the formidable defense of the 49ers has slightly regressed while the offense has become an offensive powerhouse. Although they are still fourth in DVOA and tenth in EPA/play, their third down conversion % is fairly low for the league, and their DVOA versus the run ranking is a respectable fifteenth. Because that’s where San Francisco’s defensive line is statistically weakest, the Packers and Lions both targeted this area. It’s important to remember that the Chiefs scored three rushing touchdowns going to the outside in their 44-23 victory over the 49ers last season (two from Mecole Hardman and one from Clyde Edwards-Helaire). This Sunday, we might witness something akin to that. Considering that Hardman has fumbled the ball on his past two touches, he might not be trusted with it. Isiah Pacheco’s muscular running style may cause the 49ers some problems.

Finally, there have been indications of weakness in San Francisco’s pass coverage during the postseason, primarily due to an underwhelming pass rush. Nick Bosa is under a lot of pressure since Javon Hargrave and Chase Young, in particular, have not had a sack or a quarterback hit in the last two games. The 49ers rank first in DVOA when it comes to middle-of-the-field protection, and Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw thrive in this area. Steve Wilks like zone coverage, and Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, who have connected for 23 receptions for 262 yards and three scores in their most recent postseason run, are one duo that can exploit even the strongest zone defenders.

Seth Cox, The Birds’ Retaliation

This season, the Arizona Cardinals have two up-close encounters with the San Francisco 49ers. The first occurred during their early-season matchup with the Cardinals, who were then headed by Josh Dobbs.

That came as a bit of a surprise and demonstrated some of the shortcomings that have been evident in other Niners games this season. Dobbs ran for 105 yards and completed 265 yards of passing with two touchdowns against the Cardinals.

However, the Niners offense was the driving force behind all they did. Although Brock Purdy had a simple day (20/21 for 283 yards and a touchdown), the Niners’ running game made it all appear simple.

With 20 carries, Christian McCaffrey gained 106 yards and three touchdowns. Their ability to run for the five yards per carry helped them to be effective all day, even though his long was only eighteen yards.

With six receptions for 148 yards, Brandon Aiyuk was outstanding. McCaffrey also had seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.

It was the first demonstration of how effortless their offense can make things appear, but it also demonstrated that there are moments when the emphasis on defense may waver.

With Kyler Murray back in the lineup for their second game, the defense’s shortcomings were once again evident.

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