49ers film room: First-team defense vs. Chiefs starting offense
By Chris Wilson
2nd-and-6 at SF 11
The Chiefs are in 12 personnel with twins on the wide side of the field, and two tight ends on the opposite side.
The 49ers are playing man defense from a 4-3 over variation front, with Reuben Foster on the line of scrimmage. Robert Saleh smartly elects to have Rashard Robinson follow his receiver, and moves Eric Reid to the short side of the field:
Foster is manned up on Harris, and Brooks blitzes along with the four down linemen.
However, DeForest Buckner and nose tackle Earl Mitchell attempt to attack the same A-gap:
The two tackles collide, but cause some confusion on the offensive line:
Meanwhile, Foster presses his man as the tight end tries to work his way toward the end zone:
Buckner and Mitchell create a pile of lineman on the ground, which gives defensive end Tank Carradine an opportunity to attack the quarterback:
Smith pumps to his left, but sees Carradine closing in, so he needs to get rid of the ball quickly:
Smith runs out of time, so he releases the pass to the end zone toward his well-covered tight end:
Foster jumps for the pass and gets both hands on the ball, but can’t complete the interception.
Similar to his performances in recent practices, Foster shows he has a nose for the ball, and will likely have his share of interception opportunities throughout the season:
