One of the hallmarks of the 49ers’ pass defense this season has been their ability to take away deep shots by the opposing offense. They were the best in the league at it, and continuing that trend in the Super Bowl is going to be paramount to San Francisco’s success.
While the Chiefs are perfectly capable of sustaining drives without completing throws 20-plus yards down the field, they use those big plays to pull away from teams and start running the score up over 40 points.
The 49ers defense is extremely likely to give up yards and points against the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, they can give their own offense a chance by making the Chiefs go seven or eight plays on their drives and operate like a more normal offense. Kansas City is hard to stop. They’re impossible when they can rip off chunk plays.
Luckily for San Francisco, they’ve been the best defense in the league against throws 20 or more yards downfield.
They allowed just 10 all season according to Pro Football Focus, six fewer than the next-lowest mark.
The #49ers shut down the deep ball in 2019. That will be critical in the biggest game of the season. pic.twitter.com/9orYFlsJxE
— PFF SF 49ers (@PFF_49ers) January 27, 2020
Part of the reason they’ve done this is their pass rush. Having the defensive line get home before those plays develop makes it difficult just to get the throw off, much less complete it.
Good defensive back play has been key too. Whether it’s tight coverage from the corners down the field or support from the safeties, the secondary has done a nice job communicating and limiting the amount of space receivers have to work with down the field.
The secondary is going to be the important part of that puzzle Sunday with Mahomes’ escapability under duress. Even if the defensive line wins, he’s liable to get outside the pocket and find an open target deep. Ensuring those receivers stay covered up 20-plus yards down the field could mean the difference in a 49ers win or the Chiefs rolling to victory.