Kansas City Chiefs: Five keys to victory in Super Bowl LIV
By Gage Stagner
Number 2 – Protection, Protection, Protection
Just like Spagnuolo knows what the 49ers want to do, the same can be said for Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
The run is just a supplement to the pass for the Chiefs, needless to say if you watched them at all the past two years. This will mean that the 49ers will most likely let their pass rushers loose, and they have a lot of them.
They are so deep on their front line that former Chief Dee Ford mainly comes in for passing downs. That means Kansas City will see a lot of him on the field. They also have the aforementioned rookie sensation Nick Bosa, the giant duo of DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, and the former third overall pick Solomon Thomas, who only receives a handful of snaps.
Protecting Patrick Mahomes should be the number one priority on offense. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager thinks the offensive line could be up to the challenge.
A lot of Andy Reid’s route combinations are slow developing, including the 60-yard bomb to Sammy Watkins that virtually stamped Kansas City’s ticket to Super Bowl LIV. That puts a lot of pressure, no pun intended, on the Kansas City offensive line.
Thus far, they have been up to the task, allowing just three sacks in the first two playoff games. Once again, however, the 49ers should create much more disruption than the Texans or Titans did. With all due respect to J.J. Watt, he was a shell of himself in the AFC Divisional round, and he created the most pressure against the Chiefs.