Chiefs showed 49ers why elite offensive lines matter

The 49ers were wrecked in the NFC Championship game by the Eagles’ defensive front, but the Chiefs prevented this from happening in the Super Bowl. Why?

One of the biggest focal points during the tenure of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch has been to boast a stout defensive line.

Perhaps the Niners should focus more on the offensive line instead.

Granted, San Francisco has made strides on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Sure, grabbing big-name defensive linemen like Nick Bosa has helped. But the 49ers have spent money and high NFL Draft picks on the O-line, too, exemplified by the six-year, $138 million deal dished out to All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams back in 2021.

Tack on first- and second-round picks used on linemen like Mike McGlinchey and Aaron Banks in 2018 and 2021, respectively, and the Niners do pay attention to the offensive side of the ball.

Perhaps they need to do so more.

Chiefs provided 49ers a blueprint for Super Bowl success

Despite Williams, Banks and McGlinchey, San Francisco’s offensive line was vastly outworked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. While this might not have been the No. 1 reason, Philly winning that contest 31-7 had a lot to do with winning at the line of scrimmage.

Two years ago, the Kansas City Chiefs fell victim to a vaunted Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush in Super Bowl LV.

How did KC respond? By going out and landing offensive linemen like Orlando Brown and Joe Thuney, then using more capital in the NFL Draft to completely overhaul and reinforce the O-line in front of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

It worked.

Read More: Niners must learn these crucial lessons from Super Bowl-winning Chiefs

Philadelphia had 70 regular-season sacks, by far the most in the NFL in 2022. Those numbers mattered against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Against Mahomes and the Chiefs, though, Philly registered precisely zero sacks. None. And, just like the NFC Championship game where it wasn’t the entire difference, KC’s 38-35 win was heavily influenced by its O-line’s ability to keep Mahomes upright.

How do 49ers respond and build a Super Bowl-caliber O-line?

Williams isn’t going anywhere. Banks likely isn’t either.

The rest of the Niners’ O-line is questionable or on the verge of departing. McGlinchey is a free agent, and the fact San Francisco hasn’t made any sort of re-sign overtures yet says it’s willing to move on.

Meanwhile, center Jake Brendel is still a perennial journeyman backup who has only now completed his first year as a starter. And he’s a pending free agent, too, who could still stand to be upgraded with a better player if the 49ers opt to retain him.

The versatile Daniel Brunskill is also a free agent, and it might be 2022 rookie Spencer Burford tasked with staying put solely at right guard after engaging in a rotation with Brunskill throughout the year.

All said, are those options enough? Or should the Niners recognize the fact they need to get even better?

Probably the latter. The Chiefs showed them why that matters, and San Francisco can adopt that principle if it wants to win a Super Bowl soon.