Not developing a sweet tooth is critical to Chiefs’ defensive strategy in Super Bowl
Everything in the Chiefs’ defensive toolbox will be used to combat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV Sunday. But before a muscle is twitched, the confrontation will have begun.
“Eye discipline,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, “will be very important.”
So much so that Spagnuolo has a name for the 49ers’ pre-snap motion that requires the Chiefs’ attention.
“There’s a lot of what I tagged ‘eye candy’ in the backfield, and our guys can’t get a sweet tooth biting into that eye candy,” Spagnuolo said.
The 49ers’ offense used pre-snap motion on 75 percent of their regular-season plays, according to Pro Football Focus. NFL.com reported the Niners gained an average of 5.3 yards per rush on plays that included motion and 3.4 on plays without motion. The Chiefs surrendered 5.2 yards per rush when a team motioned.
“They do it as much as any team in the league,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “It becomes an eye game for us. The fullback coming out of the backfield, the tight end movement, it’s what they do.”
Two players are key to Niners coach Kyle Shanahan’s deception-based attack: one who often handles the ball and another who doesn’t. Tight end George Kittle is the 49ers’ top receiver with 85 receptions and five touchdowns. Fulltback Kyle Juszczyk had only three rushing attempts and 20 receptions during the regular season.
Many others contribute, but the movement of Kittle and Juszczyk begins the process and is essential to the operation. Raheem Mostert doesn’t rush for 220 yards against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game two weeks ago without pre-snap motion.
It’s why 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo attempted only eight passes in that game. The Niners didn’t need to throw to reach the Super Bowl.
“The majority of the time, (Juszczyk) will take you to the ball,” Hitchens said.
Shanahan learned the game from his father, Mike Shanahan, the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach with the Denver Broncos. Kyle Shanahan carved out a name for himself as an NFL offensive coordinator, helping the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance before taking his first head coaching job with the 49ers two years ago.
The Chiefs’ defense is better equipped to handle any offense now than it was earlier this season. Spagnuolo, out of football last year, joined the team in January to replace Bob Sutton. Several new defensive assistants soon followed.
The roster also turned over, notably in the acquisition of end Frank Clark and safety Tyrann Mathieu and the shedding of outside linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford and safety Eric Berry.
After a slow start, Kansas City’s defense has rounded into form. Over the final six weeks of the regular season, the Chiefs allowed an average of just 11.5 points per game. The Chiefs finished 17th in scoring defense for the season, giving up 19.3 points per game, one spot higher than the 49ers at 19.4.
Spagnuolo’s rush defense showed the most improvement. Through the Chiefs’ first 10 games, opponents averaged 148.1 yards per game. Over the final six, they managed just 95 per game.
The Chiefs’ games against the Tennessee Titans illustrated their progress. In a Week 10 regular-season loss at Nashville, Kansas City gave up 188 rushing yards to Derrick Henry. In the their AFC Championship Game victory, Henry gained only 69 yards on the ground.
The 49ers have a different type of rushing attack but one that will test the Chiefs from the moment San Francisco breaks the huddle.
“It’s their identity,” Hitchens said. “We are going to be physically and mentally drained after this game.”