The 49ers' Defensive Game Plan Against the Chiefs
Analyzing what the San Francisco 49ers defense should do against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Transcript
00:00 Alright, let's talk about the Niners defensive game plan. We think they need to do Steve Wilkes
00:04 You know interestingly enough. I think what the 49ers have done all year that has been a little bit frustrating at times is
00:13 Probably the best thing that you can do against the Chiefs
00:17 I first of all, you don't ever want to go single high versus Patrick Holmes because the moment he sees that
00:24 He's attacking he's going to attack and he's probably going to
00:30 Get you deep or draw a penalty or something. So the 49ers the way they play soft coverages and
00:36 Don't blitz a ton actually is probably the best game plan here
00:42 But one thing I do want to see more of they have to get more exotic with that front for they can't just continue to
00:48 rush for
00:49 Basic they have to do stunts and twists and and everything they can do
00:55 To try to confuse the offensive line in front of them because if they get no pressure on Patrick, he's gonna pick him apart
01:02 Conversely if you also blitz him and give too much pressure, he'll pick you apart
01:08 So, how do you get pressure while also staying soft on the backside?
01:14 Well, the only way that you can do that is to be exotic with your front four
01:18 So that's the one change I would like to see from them, but their game plan of staying soft too high
01:24 Frustrating at times in this game. I think is the best thing you can probably do
01:29 Yeah
01:31 Staying too high agree. Okay, so that brings us to defending the run
01:35 49er story defending the run so last week was interesting coming off the Packers game
01:43 You're thinking how the night is gonna set these edges. How are they gonna stop?
01:46 Jameer Gibbs and they did give up the touchdown to Gibbs around the edge and Jamison Williams on the reverse
01:52 but really David Montgomery was the one that had the best game and it was right between the tackles and
01:58 What was interesting about how they did that was they sort of exposed the wide nine?
02:03 Wide nine is great when the Niners are winning
02:06 but when they're losing and they have to defend the run and you put out two tight ends or
02:11 Six offensive linemen in a tight end. They were doing a lot of that heavy personnel Steve Wilkes didn't really match up
02:18 He just kept throwing his base defense out there and they got ran over
02:22 Now you got the Chiefs who their base deep their base offense is two tight ends Travis Kelsey and Noah gray
02:30 They also have Blake Bell. They run the ball a lot with Isaiah Pacheco. Who's a lot like David Montgomery
02:35 I'm sure they're watching the film being like we can do that. Oh
02:37 Dave Montgomery average six yards a carry running, you know behind inside zone and split belly and do oh we can do that
02:44 And and when the nine is when we gash them over and over and over again
02:49 And they have no choice but to put the eighth man in the box. We can actually hit him over the top unlike the lines
02:54 Hmm, so I mean, I know the game comes down to more than that
02:58 But that little aspect of it right there is big. I don't know how the Niners counter that. How do you well?
03:04 Here's what they do
03:06 You have to have another front other than the wide nine if you're getting gashed by these heavy person
03:10 Like what about a five-man front? I know Wilkes used to buy a film
03:13 Yeah, I have to
03:15 Yeah, and in the interior of this offensive line
03:19 I know that Joe Tooney is probably gonna be out and he's the best of the three
03:23 But they are still very stout up the middle of this offensive line
03:27 I mean the center the right guard very very good players Tooney was phenomenal
03:32 But Alec Reddy is a guy who's pretty damn good for a backup and he's a people mover himself
03:39 very athletic
03:40 so I think that they will be able to run the ball if they decide that that's what they want to do and I think
03:46 Who can't having?
03:48 having Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback makes things a hell of a lot easier because the threat of him is
03:54 Terrifying so teams naturally are just like okay run the ball, please so
04:00 Yeah
04:02 Yeah, I do. You think they're gonna fix this run defense issue? I
04:08 Don't think that they can this quickly. No. No, I don't think so. I don't think so
04:13 I'm just worried about the dick your poison look real quick. Well, they gave up. Yeah 31 to Detroit 33 to Baltimore
04:23 29 to Arizona
04:26 I'm concerned. What's up with his defense? Is it good?
04:29 They have moments it's
04:35 It's good, but it's not what it was this this is an offensive team now it is an offensive team
04:40 I don't think it's funny because I talked about that going into the playoffs last year about how I believe this team was transitioning to
04:46 an offensive team with Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy and
04:50 I
04:52 Think more so than ever that is pretty obvious at this point
04:56 This defense just has to not get in the way of the offense almost it's like the offense is gonna put up points
05:03 They're going to put you in a position to win. Can the defense get a key stop or two?
05:08 Because between the 20s, they're probably gonna let a lot of big plays happen
05:13 Just getting a key stop or two and allowing the offense to outscore the other team. That's kind of the recipe right now
05:18 It sounds crazy when you look at what the 49ers have been but that's kind of what they are at this point, I believe
05:24 To me the Niners put the wide nine in to counter Sean McVay and the Rams like four years ago
05:30 and that team was a run first team that played out of like three wide receiver sets a lot and
05:36 They were trying to attack your nickel defense with the run game
05:40 And I think the wide nine they felt it was a good way to attack it
05:44 When you go against two tight end sets, it's just harder
05:47 because they like they widen the wide nine even more seems like the best way to go against the wide nine and
05:54 Lions kind of exposed it
05:57 Wilks has to have a changeup and sometimes it seems like Nick Bosa won't let him
06:01 He's like we're this what we do around here like will yeah
06:04 Does he have any creative control of this defense or does he have to like run everything by Chris Kiserik and Nick Bosa? Oh
06:09 Man, I have to ask permission at halftime. Hey, I want to do something different. I
06:14 mean it I don't know if it's that crazy, but it definitely
06:19 Has the feeling by listening to what everybody said and how he's talked about how I you know
06:26 I've molded to what they do and I'm doing what they're comfortable with and it was me learning what they like to do
06:33 It's okay
06:34 well
06:34 I mean you're clearly just kind of a puppet pulling the stir having your strings pulled by
06:39 the players the other coaches Kyle Shanahan and this is not what you would prefer to do, but
06:45 You might not have had another job
06:48 and so you took the opportunity knowing that there's good players and the defense would be good enough to
06:52 potentially get you a job somewhere else and
06:56 Yeah, I don't see them switching things up if they do credit to them
07:01 But I think this defense kind of is what it is and they're gonna play the way that they play, but we'll see
07:06 You
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