Geoff Schwartz: Run defense is the Chiefs key to winning Super Bowl 54

If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to win Super Bowl LIV, Geoff Schwartz believes it will be because of their run defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV down in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 2. This will be Kansas City’s first Super Bowl appearance since defeating the Minnesota Vikings all the way back in Super Bowl IV. If Kansas City is to hoist a Lombardi Trophy in two Sundays’ time, what is the key to success for the Chiefs?

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Josh Hill and Mark Carman, along with former Kansas City offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, decide the keys to the game for the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIV over the 49ers (14:45).

Hill believes that Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be the difference-maker in this game, much in the vein of how he was in the Chiefs’ two previous postseason games this season: vs. the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round and vs. the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship.

Schwartz does believe that Mahomes will be a deciding factor in if the Chiefs win or not. However, he believes how Kansas City plays run defense against a relentless 49ers’ attack is the bigger thing to key in on. He believes that unlike the Titans, San Francisco is not going to abandon the run if the 49ers get behind in this game. The 49ers’ rushing attack is more versatile than the Titans’.

Hill and Schwartz bring up great points but run defense is the bigger issue here. When does Mahomes ever play poorly? Almost never. He’ll lead this offense on a few scoring drives, regardless of how well the defense plays. That being said, if San Francisco is able to run all over the Chiefs’ defense, that could be problematic in Kansas City’s quest to win its second Super Bowl.

The best thing the Chiefs can do to win this game is to keep the 49ers offense off the field. As long as the ball is in Mahomes’ hands, Kansas City should win this game. Jimmy Garoppolo is a good quarterback, but he’s not the all-time talent of Mahomes. If Kansas City halts the Kyle Shanahan zone-blocking schemed ground attack, the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl and we can party!

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Is Patrick Mahomes the NFL’s Michael Jordan? – 1:30
• Chiefs should be worried about SF’s defensive front – 10:21
• Kyle Shanahan vs. Andy Reid will be offensive fireworks – 17:33
• Schwartz on how special it is watching his brother play in Super Bowl – 18:55

All this and more!

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