Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer breaks down the Super Bowl LVIII matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday and will be televised by CBS (Channel 2 in the Los Angeles area):
49ers pass offense vs. Chiefs pass defense
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is difficult to tackle after he makes a catch. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
The 49ers are all about precision and play calling, which presents a different challenge than the Chiefs saw from AFC championship game opponent Baltimore, whose quarterback, Lamar Jackson could break a big play at any time. Kansas City cannot be overly aggressive with cool-under-pressure quarterback Brock Purdy because the 49ers have so many places they can go with the ball — George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield. So the Chiefs have to make sure that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s formations and camouflage don’t mess up their coverages. Look for more conservative zone coverages than the Baltimore game. EDGE: 49ers
49ers run offense vs. Chiefs run defense
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is not easy to tackle, as the Kansas City Chiefs defense can confirm. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
San Francisco can grind out those yards on the ground with McCaffrey, who is so versatile and dangerous. The Chiefs did a really good job of shutting down the run against Baltimore, but the Ravens were complicit in that too. The big problem defenses have with the 49ers is San Francisco has so many ways to go with the ball, so committing to stop the run means all sorts of receiving options pop open. The 49ers were third in rushing yards per game this season, whereas the Chiefs were 17th when it came to stopping the run — and 26th in giving up yards after contact. EDGE: 49ers
Chiefs pass offense vs. 49ers pass defense
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-lviii-matchups-analysis-110037349.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-02-08 11:00:37
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