The Chiefs’ and 49ers’ rosters are loaded with big-name talent, so Super Bowl 54 won’t be lacking in star power. But this is football, the ultimate team sport. Stars play a big role in deciding the outcome of a game, but the more unheralded players on the roster can be just as important.
We’ve certainly seen that play out in recent Super Bowls, with lesser know players making key plays down the stretch and becoming household names themselves. Guys like Malcolm Smith, David Tyree, James White and Malcolm Butler were afterthoughts in the week leading up to the game, but that was not the case after the final whistle.
So which unheralded 49ers and Chiefs players could make the difference on Sunday in Miami? We’ve picked out five…
1. Emmanuel Moseley, 49ers cornerback
We all know about Richard Sherman and the year he’s having on the left side of the 49ers defense. Well, the right side of San Francisco’s pass defense has been pretty good, too, thanks to the emergence of undrafted free agent Emmanuel Moseley, who seems to have wrestled the starting job away from Ahkello Witherspoon for good now. If the Chiefs plan on avoiding Sherman’s side — might be a smart thing to do! — Moseley will be under the spotlight on Sunday. He’ll have to deal with Travis Kelce on isolated routes and decipher Kansas City’s three-man route concepts on the fly. If he does the job, the 49ers defense just might stand a chance against a Chiefs offense that has had its way with opposing defenses this postseason.
2. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Chiefs defensive end
Because I know you’re wondering: It’s pronounced Tawn-o Pass-n-yo.
Kyle Shanahan loves to test the edges of a defensive front, and with the stout Frank Clark on one side and the inexperienced Kpassagnon on the other, it’s obvious which side he’ll feel more comfortable attacking on Sunday. The third-year pro has the physical profile to one day develop into a dominant edge defender, but he’s still raw at this point in his career. Against a coach like Shanahan, who can play tricks on defenders with pre-snap motion and post-snap fakes, that could be an issue. Kpassagnon will have his work cut out for him when it comes to reading his keys and being in the right position. If he’s able to do that (for the most part, at least) he could help slow down the 49ers run game and force Jimmy Garoppolo to out-duel Patrick Mahomes.
3. Deebo Samuel, 49ers wide receiver
George Kittle and Kyle Juszycyck get all the credit for the diversity of the 49ers offensive attack, but Samuel is right there with those two in that regard. Deebo does it all for Shanahan. He runs quick slant routes, deep over routes, he has the speed to take the top off of a coverage, he’ll catch bubble screens, he’ll run reverses and end-arounds and he’ll even line up in the backfield and take traditional handoffs. Kittle is clearly the star of the show, but Samuel is the player Shanahan calls on when he needs a big play. Well, he’ll need a lot of them to keep pace with the Chiefs on Sunday.
4. Eric Fisher, Chiefs left tackle
For the 49ers defense, getting pressure on Mahomes, and doing so without having to blitz a whole lot, will be a requirement if it’s going to have any chance of holding the Chiefs’ high-powered offense down. Nick Bosa is the best of San Francisco’s pass rushers. In the playoffs, he’s been parked on the offense’s left…
Nick Bosa location heat map for the regular season and playoffs pic.twitter.com/1NDJinQT1Y
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 27, 2020
That means it will be up to 2013 first-overall pick Eric Fisher to keep him away from the quarterback. Fisher has been a solid-to-good blindside protector for the Chiefs after a slow start to his career. He’ll have to be a little more than solid with Bosa screaming off the edge. If he is, and Mahomes has time in the pocket, the 49ers defense won’t look so elite on Sunday.
5. Jaquiski Tartt, 49ers safety
Both of the 49ers safeties will play important roles on Sunday, as the Chiefs offense is constantly putting stress on all members of the secondary. But Tartt is seen as the lesser of the two in coverage — mostly because Jimmie Ward is really good — so he’ll be the one we focus on. One of the more important tasks will be picking up the deep crossing routes that power the Chiefs’ deep passing game. That’s a difficult job with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman running those routes. If the 49ers can’t defend those routes, Mahomes is going to have a monster game. Tartt needs to play well.
[jwplayer C1CDkASr-q2aasYxh]