Kansas City Chiefs: Players To Watch Against The San Francisco 49ers

Outside Linebacker Justin Houston

The 49ers have struggled to keep their new quarterback clean so far this season. In just two games this season, Garoppolo has been sacked nine times. Kansas City only has two total sacks on the season so far which isn’t ideal, but they have done a good job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks for the most part over the past two games.

When I charted the game against the Steelers, the Chiefs came away with 22 pressures. Dee Ford has looked good to start the season, possibly the best he has played since coming to Kansas City. The hope is that Bob Sutton will put Justin Houston back on the left side for this game to get the best matchup against the 49ers rookie right tackle, Mike McGlinchey.

Sutton has not done a good job playcalling so far this season, continuing to drop his outside linebackers in coverage while only sending two or three pass rushers. Considering the weakness in the secondary, the Chiefs defense can’t afford to play this passive-aggressive style of defense. Instead, they need to bring the house and take down the quarterback.

Forcing Garoppolo off his spot and to make bad decisions under pressure will be a big factor in this game. Houston has seen a lot of flack from fans so far this season, and if he wants to get back to the top of the pass rushing list, he will need to begin with a big game against the 49ers. Now is the time to prove that the contract was worth every penny.