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Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have started the makings of a historic run between a quarterback and head coach. The amount of wins and points scored since Mahomes took over as the signal caller for the Kansas City Chiefs has reached almost unheard of levels.
A win in Superbowl LIV can cement them in the annals of NFL history as one of the greatest tandems ever to do it.
Keys To The Game:
The Chiefs’ offensive line has to do the job upfront and there’s no getting around it. The 49ers do a great job of creating pressure with very little personnel and the Chiefs have to make them send more guys, leaving more holes in the secondary.
Kansas City should mix in more run plays, especially to their wide receivers as they are known to do. Getting the 49ers’ defensive backs looking towards the backfield early could lead to some big plays late.
Running the football also keeps the clock moving and when those points start dropping, the Chiefs’ opponents tend to start looking at the game clock.
Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill should not fear any of the 49ers’ cornerbacks and that includes the dangerous Richard Sherman. Hill should be in attack mode early and going right after Sherman might even be suggested in this game.
If they can get Sherman in some one on one situations with Hill they should go for the kill. Not only is Sherman not fast enough to stay with Hill, he can get overly physical at times which can lead to penalties.
The best thing the Chiefs can do on offense is get a lead early. A lead gets San Francisco out of their run oriented offense somewhat and it propels them to force the ball downfield more, which is not their game.
On defense, the Chiefs will have to blitz often and not just to get to the quarterback but also to blow up run plays in the backfield. The 49ers will continue to pound the football if you can’t pose a threat. They also set up a favorable amount of their passing game out of their backfield where they will feature any one of their main targets.
In the secondary, as soon as a 49er player catches the ball, a Chiefs player needs to put a hat on him. Putting the hits on hard will make their receivers a little more reluctant to reach out for the ball on those slant plays and other plays in the middle of the field. Getting the offense to be a bit slow in the passing game has led the 49ers to turn the ball over numerous times this season.
X-Factor:
Tyrann Mathieu was all over the field in the AFC title game with nine total tackles and it shouldn’t be any different in this one. His play can set the tone for the defense, especially in the Chiefs’ secondary.
