Inside The Enemy Camp: 49ers
The Kansas City Chiefs will be taking on the 49ers this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. As part of our game preview we go “Inside The Enemy Camp” and talk with Eric Melendez from Niner Noise, Fansided’s one stop spot for everything 49ers.
The Niners were supposed to wipe the floor with the rest of the NFC West but it ended up being the Seahawks that wiped the floor with the Niners in the season opener.
What happened? Was it just a fluke performance or is there trouble in San Fran?
The game against the Seahawks was part fluke, part trouble. A lot had to do with the communication issues and getting the play called in time. That hurt the 49ers and with how loud the crowd gets at Quest Field made it harder for the offense to function.
Alex Smith looked pretty good at times against the Saints. Are you sold on him or was Monday night’s performance just an outlier?
This is a make or break year for Alex Smith. With his contract up he knows that if does not have a good season he will be labeled a bust. I am sold on him and think he will get better as the season goes on. With so many weapons around him he has no excuses.
Frank Gore scares the crap out of me. The Chiefs have been better against the run this year but still, Frank Gore scares the crap out of me.
What have teams done against him in the past that has worked in slowing him down?
The way to stop Frank Gore is to make the 49ers offense go away from the run. If the 49ers are down by more than two scores they usually call more passes than runs but Gore is still a treat out of the backfield. You just have to hope Gore has a bad day.
What young players do the Niners have that most people don’t know about and that the Chiefs should watch out for?
Wide receiver Josh Morgan is a young player not too many people know about. He played well against the Saints catching 6 passes for 70 yards. He is quick and has good hands and with the defense focused on the big three (Davis, Gore and Crabtree) Morgan finds himself one-on-one a lot and takes advantage.
What is your team’s biggest strength and biggest weakness thus far this season?
Our biggest strength is our run defense. We are ranked sixth against the run this season giving up an average of 2.7 yards per carry.
Our biggest weakness has been our return game on kickoffs and punts. The low-light was Phillip Adams fumbling a punt at the 49ers 10-yard line in the fourth quarter against the Saints. Of the four turnovers that night, that one lost the game.
What is your prediction for Sunday’s game at Arrowhead?
The 49ers had issues with how loud Seahawk fans were in week one and Arrowhead is known to be just as loud. We will see if the 49ers play calling issues are truly solved against the Chiefs. It will be a defensive game with the team making the least mistakes winning in the end.
49ers 16 Chiefs 13.