The San Francisco 49ers have been known for their stellar defense in their return to prominence in recent NFL seasons, while the Kansas City Chiefs have been regarded for their offense during the Patrick Mahomes era.
As both teams prepare to face off in Super Bowl LVIII, Colin Cowherd believes the perceptions surrounding both teams are incorrect — specifically as it pertains to the defensive side of the ball. He believes that the Chiefs hold the better defense entering Sunday’s game despite the widespread notion that the 49ers’ defensive unit is superior.
“There’s this automatic belief that more expensive is better,” Cowherd said. “I don’t believe it — or that name brands are superior … than store brands. … Their brand is offense, but Kansas City’s defense in the playoffs has allowed 13.7 points per game. That’s against Mike McDaniel, Tua [Tagovailoa] and Tyreek Hill. That’s against Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. That’s against Lamar Jackson and the No. 1 rush offense. … The Niners’ defense … allowed 21 points to first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love and over 330 yards.
“What’s better, Lamar Jackson, Tua and Josh Allen mostly shutdown or Jordan Love [eating] the 49ers defense off a bye with two weeks to prepare?”
Statistically, the Chiefs hold the advantage on defense. Their unit ranked second in yards allowed (289.8 yards allowed per game) and scoring (17.3 points allowed per game) in the regular season. As Cowherd mentioned, they’ve only stepped up their play in the playoffs. While they’ve given up more yards (322.7 yards allowed per game) in the postseason, they still have the second-best total defense in the playoffs. They’re second in scoring defense, too.
Do the Chiefs have a more dominant defense than the 49ers?
On the other hand, the Niners still ranked relatively well defensively, checking in at eighth-best in yards allowed (303.9 per game) and third-best in scoring (17.5 points allowed per game). However, Cowherd noted that…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/why-chiefs-store-brand-defense-is-superior-to-49ers-name-brand-defense
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Publish date : 2024-02-08 23:25:33
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