Niner Noise
FanSided

3 reasons why 49ers present problems for Chiefs in Super Bowl 54

By Nathan Bannerman

Jimmy Garoppolo #10 and Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 and Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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49ers Emmanuel Moseley
Emmanuel Moseley #41 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

No. 2: The 49ers defense has presented problems for opposing teams all season. But the Chiefs offense will face more issues than just the 49ers’ front seven.

“Offense wins games. But defenses win championships”, is how the old saying goes.

The motto for any team in any sport is exceptionally true for the 49ers. As the schedule reached its toughest stretch, the offense had to win some games. But in the 2019 NFC Divisional and NFC Championship games, the defense stepped up and won the biggest games of the year.

The Chiefs have one of, if not the best, quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes. The former NFL MVP had a pretty spectacular season despite missing two games with a knee injury. Mahomes completed 319 passes, for 4031 yards and 26 touchdowns.

However, Mahomes hasn’t faced the top ranked pass defense yet. He hasn’t truly faced the speed of the 49ers front seven, nor has he seen how well the secondary can cover. Mahomes did have to scramble a little bit in their AFC Championship game against the Tennessee Titans and ended up with this highlight reel touchdown.

In every game but two this season, the 49ers have forced turnover, including three in the NFC Championship game. Many have said the sole reason the secondary is considered elite is because of the front seven. That’s mostly true, but the secondary is elite because they have a tonne of talent.

Corner backs Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley cover the boundaries so well, it’s tough for the quarterback to get anything down field. Safety Jaquiski Tartt provides lots of help in the middle of the field. Take a look at the NFC Championship highlight package and we’ll see just how well the secondary plays:

The only plays the Packers were really able to execute on were the quick passes near the line of scrimmage. Yes, they did get some long balls in there but it was too little too late when they did.

One of the problems the 49ers will most certainly have is keeping up with the speed of the Chiefs wide receivers. They are fast, skilled and most importantly: fast. But if the 49ers can cover well, keep their man in front of them and rush Mahomes, they could make it a long night for the Chiefs offense.