Five things to know about the Chiefs’ Super Bowl opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Hey, did you hear? The Chiefs are going to play in Super Bowl LIV.
That means the Chiefs’ final game of the 2019 season will be at a neutral site: Miami. And, if you’re the type who likes to watch Chiefs players in the Pro Bowl, well, you’re out of luck.
The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers, who thumped the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game..
Each week I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are five things to know about the 49ers ahead of the Feb. 2 game, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Central time and will be broadcast on Fox (Ch. 4 in Kansas City):
1. Run, run and then run
San Francisco running back Raheem Mostert carved up the Packers in the NFC Championship Game to the tune of 220 yards and four touchdowns.
The NFL tweeted he is the only player in NFL history with 200 or more rushing yards and four or more rushing touchdowns in a playoff game.
During the regular season, San Francisco was second in the NFL (to Baltimore) in rushing attempts (498) and yards (2,305). The 49ers led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (23).
2. No passing fancy
In the 49ers’ divisional playoff win over the Vikings, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed 11 of 19 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
On Sunday, he was used even less. Garoppolo only threw the ball eight times and the NFL shared this interesting stat.
During the regular season, Garoppolo completed 69.1% of his passes for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
3. Kittle or Kelce?
This debate will likely rage for the next two weeks: which tight end is better, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce or 49ers’ George Kittle?
Kelce led all NFL tight ends with 1,229 receiving yards (fourth-most in the league) in 97 catches. He also caught five touchdown passes.
Kittle had 85 catches for 1,053 yards with five touchdowns. He can be a handful as this catch and run against the Saints showed:
4. Dee Ford reunion
The 49ers were eighth in scoring defense (19.4 points per game), one spot behind the Chiefs. San Francisco led the NFL in passing defense (169.2 yards per game) and had 48 sacks.
San Francisco’s pass rush is led by Arik Armstead, who had 10 sacks, and rookie Nick Bosa, who had nine sacks. DeForest Buckner had 7 1/2 sacks. Former Chiefs star Dee Ford was hampered by injuries, but he still compiled 6 1/2 sacks in 11 games.
San Francisco also was tied for the NFC lead in allowing a first down on just 33% of opponents’ third-down attempts.
The secondary is led by Richard Sherman, who won a Super Bowl with Seattle.
5. Special teams
If it comes down to a field-goal attempt to win the game, the 49ers’ Robbie Gould has experience on the Hard Rock Stadium field. Gould, who is in his 15th season, played in Super Bowl XLI with the Bears, who lost to the Colts in Miami. He’s made 31 of 47 field-goal attempts for San Francisco, despite missing three games.
Gould has made his last 14 field-goal attempts dating to the regular season. He’s five-for-five in the playoffs, including a 54-yarder on Sunday.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 10:21 AM.
