Super Bowl 54: 5 49ers matchups vs. Chiefs no one is talking about
No. 3: Kyle Juszczyk vs. Whichever Chiefs Defender Is In Front Of Him
The San Francisco 49ers have made a habit of simply trampling over defenses in the playoffs to get all the way to Super Bowl LIV. All the motions in the world don’t disguise that San Francisco is a physical team that loves nothing more than to punch people in the mouth.
We all know by now how much tight end George Kittle loves to block. When he’s not catching passes, he’s effectively an extra offensive lineman on the field.
We also know how much fullback Kyle Juszczyk loves to block. As the player who often leads the running back, he’ll be the most responsible if the 49ers are to do to Kansas City what they did to Minnesota and Green Bay.
Ignore the fact the Chiefs managed to stifle Tennessee’s Derrick Henry; Titans and 49ers do not utilize similar schemes at all. The Titans use more simple running schemes that utilize multiple tight ends to either power run or operate as a decoy for some sort of passing scheme.
The 49ers, meanwhile, can run from any formation and use an array of exotic motions to confuse and freeze the opposition.
The Titans also don’t use a fullback.
The Chiefs are well below-average when it comes to defending the run, ranking 25th in run defense. They’ve played better in recent weeks, but have not come across the type of offense that head coach Kyle Shanahan employs.
One thing about the 49ers scheme is that it’s designed for blocking on multiple levels. For example: Kittle will either pick up the first lineman he sees or leave them for Juszczyk (depending on the shoulder the lineman is on) and continue on.
However, if Kittle takes the lineman, it’s up to Juszczyk to find someone downhill.
On other schemes, Juszczyk has to fake a block and freeze the defender and then move past him with the ball carrier downfield. He has an array of blocking responsibilities, and for this reason is probably the biggest weapon the 49ers have in their array of talented blocking personnel.
To control the clock is to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field, but to control the clock also means to consistently run it.
To take full advantage of the mismatch that is the 49ers rushing offense vs. the Chiefs rushing defense, Juszczyk must be on top of his game and maul whichever assignment he has.