Five keys for the Chiefs to defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV

Good Pass Protection

I already mentioned that the 49ers pass rush is looked at as one of the dominant parts of their team. That isn’t without merit. The 49ers were 5th in the NFL in sacks this season. What makes them really dangerous is that they are one of the few teams that can generate lots of pressure with their front four without blitzing. The quartet of Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, and DeForest Buckner are all capable of getting to the quarterback.

The 49ers ability to apply consistent pressure while still dropping seven guys back into coverage is what gives their pass defense such an advantage. If the Chiefs want to neutralize that advantage they must pass protect well in this game. The good news for Chiefs fans is that they have done an excellent job of that overall this season. The Chiefs offensive line only allowed 25 sacks in the regular season, which was the third fewest in the NFL. While the pass protection has been good, Patrick Mahomes deserves some of the credit for that low total thanks to his excellent awareness and mobility.

Of the 25 sacks the Chiefs allowed this season, eight of them came in the three games where Matt Moore was the quarterback. Patrick Mahomes was only sacked 17 times in the 13 games that he was the primary quarterback. If you add the Chiefs two playoff games to that, Mahomes has only been sacked 19 times in 15 games this season. That’s an average of just 1.3 sacks per game. Keep in mind that during a large part of the middle of the season Mahomes was limited in his mobility due to ankle and knee injuries.

The Chiefs just need to continue keeping Mahomes upright like they have all season. It’s not that they have to be perfect and not allow any pressure at all. If the 49ers end up with two or three sacks on the day, it won’t be the end of the world for the Chiefs. However, they have to make sure that the 49ers front four doesn’t dominate this game and prevent the Chiefs from doing what they want to do on offense.

The Chiefs are the fastest team in the NFL on offense, but that speed can be neutralized if Mahomes has to run for his life and check down because the offensive line doesn’t give him enough time for routes to develop. Mahomes has shown himself to be a master at extending plays long enough to create that time, but the offensive line has to do its part, too.

While the other four keys in this post are also huge for the Chiefs, I think this might be the most important one. At the end of the day if the Chiefs passing attack has a better day than the 49ers front four, I think K.C. wins this game. If the 49ers front four has a dominant performance and takes K.C. out of their passing attack, it will spell trouble for the Chiefs.

Their names might not get mentioned very often this week leading up to the game, but Mitchell Schwartz, Eric Fisher, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Austin Reiter, and Stefen Wisniewski will have a huge impact on who wins this game.

Next let’s talk about a key that includes all three facets of the game.