Fudge keys to the game.

First and foremost KC better know how to block that San Fran front 4


If not it’s over fairly quickly.

Judge Fudge said:

KC: Make Jimmy Beat You and Hil vs Sherman

A) If you look at the NFC championship. Who won it for San Fran???? Defense, Jimmy? No Morhart won it for them. If you use the same gameplan to a tee that they used vs Tennessee then you are golden.

B) Hill is one of the fastest Men in the NFL TODAY!!!. If they constantly use this matchup. Hill will burn Sherman. Now Hill catching the ball is another thing

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KC...keys.

They're not going to shut down the SF run game much like they didn't really shut down TN's running game. They kept the damage to a minimum and they got a big enough lead to force the ball into Tannehill's hands...I agree, that will work in this one too.

Make those 3rd downs passing downs and get after Jimmy G with Jones, and Frank "Wildman" Clark.

SF...keys

Make KC respect the running game for all 4Qs.

Get pressure on Mahomes

Keep the large chunk plays to a minimum

Judge Fudge said:

Have you been drinking?

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Surprise trade of Rodgers to SF. Didn't you get the memo??

As much as I think Derrick Henry is a beast I think the SF running game is more flexible and will pose more problems for the KC defense than the Titans running game. Mahommes and co need to handle the SF pass run or the game will be a rout.

The 9er running game is just a different animal than the Titans because with the Titans it's either Henry getting the ball handed to him or tossed to him and just go where Henry goes and that's where the ball is. They try to beat you with execution and brute strength.

With the 9ers the offensive line, Mostert, and Juszczyk could go in one direction and Juszczyk spins around to go the other way and Deebo gets the ball going the opposite direction of where the defense thinks it's going and because everyone is so quick it's 5+ yards before you're getting a hand on him.

What makes the 9ers run game so successful is Juszczyk and Kittle are A++ blockers and the receivers themselves are all strong in terms of run blocking so they are able to block the second level extremely well and when you have speedy guys like a Mostert you just need to buy them a little time and space to blast through a defense.

I don't think the Chiefs can shut down the 9ers running game but defensively if they are going to slow it down than getting penetration is the key for them. One vital cog for the 9ers run game is pulling a lineman to give them a man advantage to a side the side they want to run and if you get penetration and mess up those pulling linemen they aren't going to be able to get to the 2nd level like they want to.

From what I understand the Chiefs were one of the worst teams defending the outside zone and they have big boys up front so my guess is Shanahan is going to try to wear them out by constantly having to run them side to side and you'll see a lot of runs going from one side to the next but more importantly you're going to see runs you think will be going to one side but will be going the opposite way.

Win or lose, I'll be crying all game.

PatsFan2003 said:

As much as I think Derrick Henry is a beast I think the SF running game is more flexible and will pose more problems for the KC defense than the Titans running game. Mahommes and co need to handle the SF pass run or the game will be a rout.

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Its not so much that the Titans run game was inflexible, its that teams really sold out against the Titans run game. Tannehill's WRs were more wide open than probably any other team in the NFL. Tannehill led the NFL in YPA because all of his throws were easy.

The Chiefs pass rush is just a little bit better than the Packers pass rush and the Chiefs secondary is just a little bit better than the Packers secondary. Chiefs also trust their guys to play Man coverage and Packers generally didn't. I think its very likely that the Chiefs are going all-in against the run against the Niners and they're going to see if Jimmy G can win the Super Bowl MVP or flame out like Tannehill.

Clayton said:

Its not so much that the Titans run game was inflexible, its that teams really sold out against the Titans run game. Tannehill's WRs were more wide open than probably any other team in the NFL. Tannehill led the NFL in YPA because all of his throws were easy.

The Chiefs pass rush is just a little bit better than the Packers pass rush and the Chiefs secondary is just a little bit better than the Packers secondary. Chiefs also trust their guys to play Man coverage and Packers generally didn't. I think its very likely that the Chiefs are going all-in against the run against the Niners and they're going to see if Jimmy G can win the Super Bowl MVP or flame out like Tannehill.

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If the Chiefs sell out too hard to stop the run 9ers will dice them up with play action. They are one of the best play action teams in the league and they have the 3rd or 4th most YAC yardage this year so Jimmy will just hit a quick and easy pass and let the guys go to work.

I think the key for the Chiefs is getting penetration from the DL and they have to fight off the blocks on the outside because I'm guessing that's where the 9ers will focus on hitting them.

Jikkle said:

If the Chiefs sell out too hard to stop the run 9ers will dice them up with play action. They are one of the best play action teams in the league and they have the 3rd or 4th most YAC yardage this year so Jimmy will just hit a quick and easy pass and let the guys go to work.

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Thats the same dynamics as the Titans, though, which makes me think that the Chiefs might try it again. Tannehill literally led the league in yards per pass attempt.

Good video that goes over some of the weaknesses to both defenses so even though it's from a 9ers beat writer there is stuff to be gained from both teams.

Jikkle said:

Good video that goes over some of the weaknesses to both defenses so even though it's from a 9ers beat writer there is stuff to be gained from both teams.

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The thing about the Niners sacks coming on predictable downs and distances is interesting. Thats exactly like what the Chiefs were like last year. Led the league in sacks but in a very predictable way. Brady and Romo could call out exactly what the defense was doing and where it was going in the playoffs last year. The difference is that the Chiefs defense was bad on the other downs and it sounds like the Niners are middle of the pack which is a pretty notable difference.

Bosa seems like a real weapon but Sherman and Ford seem like stars with real tendencies that a team like the Chiefs could roll the dice against. I know one thing the Chiefs have shown is that they'll swap Tyreek Hill around with Hardman and/or Watkins and see if the opponent still doubles Hill. Titans ended up leaving Tyreek Hill 1 on 1 in the championship game because the Titans didnt switch their coverage.

I agree with this Sharp guys analysis that the coaches are going to find the weak spots in these defenses. What I disagree on is that the coaches are going to decide the game. With 2 weeks, Shannhan and Reid are going to see everything. Whats going to decide the game is who on the Chiefs and Niners are going to be the weakest links.

As far as the bit about the Niners being play action rockstars....yeah, the Chiefs are going to have to live with that. Doing what the Packers defense did is a way worse fate.

Clayton said:

The thing about the Niners sacks coming on predictable downs and distances is interesting. Thats exactly like what the Chiefs were like last year. Led the league in sacks but in a very predictable way. Brady and Romo could call out exactly what the defense was doing and where it was going in the playoffs last year. The difference is that the Chiefs defense was bad on the other downs and it sounds like the Niners are middle of the pack which is a pretty notable difference.

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Ford was gimpy most of the year he was basically in on obvious passing downs which partly explains why the difference between early downs and 3rd and obvious. Their pass rush is a lot better when he's on the field because it just makes it difficult for the offensive line to account for everybody and usually somebody has a favorable 1 on 1 they can win.

Ford wasn't listed as limited on the injury report today so I suspect he'll be on the field more on early downs then he has been the past couple games along with the extra week of rest I suspect the pressure will be better on early downs then what the stats say it was this season.

And because the Chiefs run the ball so little the 9ers will worry less about the run on 1st and 2nd and focus more on the pass. I'm sure the mentality is "we'll tackle the RB on the way to the QB" and they'll have their ears pinned back more compared to playing a team like the Vikings for example where a guy like Cook is a major part of their offense.

But their ability to rush the passer is going to depend on the 9ers offense and how effective they are at running the ball and points on the board. If the 9ers are ripping off 5+ minute TD drives it means fresher legs for the defense and more pressure for the Chiefs offense to score.