How many positions are the Chiefs better than the 49ers?

KC has the better safeties in Tyrann Mathieu and Dan Sorensen IMO. Dirty Dan is having an all pro post season in fact.

SF has Ward and Tartt...

Full tip of the cap to Mahomes. Guy pulled through big time. Legendary player already at 24 years old.

For SF to end the game +1.2 yards per play and blow and 20-10 lead with 6 mins left is just a brutal gut punch. Congrats to Kyle Shanahan for just straight up gagging two Super Bowls. Absolute clown. 

Mahomes was terrible most of this game. SF had to put them away and they simply did not.

Andy Reid stole Kyle Shanahan’s manhood in this game. Can’t be many Super Bowls a team is +1.2 yards per play and lose. Shanahan just did not put them away when he had the chance and he deserves all the blame. 

+1.2 yards per play, up 10 with 6 mins left and get out scored 21-0 in 6 minutes.

In the modern NFL you just have to put elite QBs away, and whether it was not using TOs at the end of the 1H or conservative plays with the lead, Shanahan simply p*ssed out. Tough, tough loss. 

but again full tip to Mahomes. Who is beating this guy for the next 15 years?

I think he caused the INT.  Not much on the stat board but did his part.  Congrats to Suggs

Credit to the Honey Badger who got his team into the game

Kyle Shanahan outscored 52-0 to end his last two Super Bowls. 

Teams with 10 point leads with under 7 mins left this season before today were 146-1. 

Unfathomable. 

Type of loss that lingers into next year. 

Shanny try 2 get cute - running the ball only 22x after Mahomes 2nd INT late in the 4th quarter -They ran for 5 yards on 1st then threw it on 2nd and 3rd down - 

Let's revisit what SF backers were saying last year....this is no shade to Andy here, I chose this thread because was the most compelling thread to back SF last year and it is smart to look at history and see where mistakes were made vs correct calls.  Reread the OP and take notice of what is being said again this time around.... 

Kansas City has clearly the better QB, special teams, and a smaller edge in receiving corps as a whole. The 49ers have clearly the better running backs, defensive line, linebackers, secondary, and a smaller edge on the OL.

 I think the question here is simple: Is Mahomes and a special teams edge enough to compensate and then some for the 49ers having more talent?

 Anyone betting on Kansas City is going to say yes. And while a super elite QB like Mahomes is capable of beating any defense in today’s NFL I think the 49ers possess two counters that will make it difficult:

  First and foremost is the ability to get pressure with four. The 49ers front four is elite. Mahomes is the same guy vs the blitz when not blitzed but completed 49% of his passes when under pressure. The 49ers rank 1, 2 or 3 in every pressure/sack stat. This is going to be far different from the garbage defenses Mahomes saw vs Houston and Tennessee. If you go back and look at the two playoff games Mahomes had all day to throw. Houston ranks in the bottom 5 in most pass rush stats and the Titans are in the 20s. Cameron Wake had the third most pressures for the Titans this year and he played nine games.

  Secondly, and there’s no real way to quantify this, the 49ers have the team speed on defense to hang with the Chiefs. This is the fastest defense I have seen in quite a while and they can certainly somewhat counter the Chiefs speed on offense.

I’ve always thought your weaknesses get exposed in the playoffs. To me the Chiefs defense, and run defense in particular is a huge weakness. Their run defense is ranked 29 in DVOA. I know they stopped Henry but keep in mind they loaded the box and Henry was on his 4 straight road game with massive usage the previous three games. And honestly, the biggest factor there was the Titans with Ryan Tannehill on the road and nobody besides AJ Brown to throw to could not attack behind those stacked boxes. That’s not going to be the case here. I think KC will stack the box early (they almost have to) and Shanahan knows this and will scheme up play actions with a better QB and way better receivers than the Titans. Kittle, Sanders, Deebo potential getting one on ones against stacked boxes vs these DB will be a dream.

 The 49ers weakness? Well by DVOA it is rush offense at 13…and we know that is just not right. Rush defense at 11? Maybe, but the Chiefs don’t run the ball and when they do they do so inefficiently. Most will say Jimmy G. But I posted this somewhere on this forum last week: He was great down the stretch in road games at Baltimore, New Orleans, and Seattle. All playoff type games in three stadiums that are Top 5 loudest in the league. He completed at least 71% in all three games with ratings of 110, 132, and 119 and only threw one pick. He went shot for shot with Drew Brees in the Superdome in the game of the year. Many won’t trust him but he’s better than you think.

everything else you mention is spot on. massive edge for SF in defense. offense slightly in favor of KC but both are good in their ways of attack. SF for the rush. KC for the pass. SF offenss has better chance of exploiting than KC does. shall be an interesting  SB matchup

Max bet on San Fran for me. BUT....if you don't pressure Mahomes or let him free to run up the sidelines for twenty yards whenever he needs to, he will eat San Fran alive just like he did the last two teams he faced. We live in an age where dominant QB's are super dominant. I am betting that the San Fran defense is good enough to limit this superstar but that KC team isn't just Mahomes. Brilliant coach, speed demon wide receivers. So place your bets and enjoy the game. But the one key I will be watching is how much time Mahomes has to throw. If he has time to throw, worry, worry a lot

49ers dominate in the trenches - that’s the most important thing - O-line and D-line this game will get ugly - SF defense is fully healthy - I expect a 49ers blowout 

SF can beat you in many ways - high scoring/low scoring - a big advantage in defense. Kc is a 1 trick pony - there defense will get badly exposed here. 49ers is the most consistent team all year. They could of gone 16-0 in the regular season. Take a look at San Francisco defense when they are fully healthy ? It was dam filthy- this game will not be closed- the 49ers will put a demolition on KC 

Vikings/packers above average offense - got suffocated by the 49ers defense.Its totally different when you can rush 4 and still get 2 the quarterback. The 49ers defense is fully healthy again. This will be the biggest reason the 49ers will win the Super Bowl case closed!!! It’s not rocket science. 

[Quote: Originally Posted by chic-cardinals]Quote Originally Posted by Killer_B: Excellent point Ninja. Seattle gave SF fits this year, were 6" from sweeping the series (or the idiot coaches delay of game penalty on the 1 yard line).Mahomes is the NFLs next superstar and will do what he does best, scramble and make plays with his arm or his feet.Hilarious someone above picked a SF blowout. Blowouts don't occur much when the team claiming to get blown out averaged 43 pts the last 2 games... This game could be Rams vs. KC last year on MNF when neither team could stop the other.   Mahomes  will do virtually  nothing. He won't even exceed 17 points.  This will be nothing like a shootout.nothing[/Quote]

sorry have to comment on this one.... 

League stats are one dimensional and I often times will look at opponents to see if the stats are legit or not. So the 49ers were great in some categories but are those opponents faced strong in those categories or do the wins against weaker opponents make the stats look better? Same goes for the Chefs (spelling intentional) are their strengths or weaknesses skewed due to the teams the faced?

How did these teams do in the categories of strength and weakness when they played opponents who were strong in those categories? So for example I'd say based on division and schedule that SF faced better teams than KC did without looking at their out of division groupings this year. I am not convinced that SF faced a large number of great passing teams, nor that KC faced many great defenses. 

KC seems strong in the passing category and so which opponents did the 49ers play who were top 10 passing teams and how did they do in those games and did they deliver the pressure against the QB that is what needs to be shown in this game? And what top 10 run teams did KC face and how did they do in those games and against the run?

I'm not convinced that SF faced a large number of high ranking pass teams and that is what will determine the game. Notice that in the KC playoff games, neither team could hold a lead because their secondaries got worn out and exposed and the points started coming quickly, that could be the case in this game. I also think for SF to win they have to control the clock and run the ball down their throat as they did in the NFCC game last week. If they keep the score lower and control the clock with a run game and keep the Chefs from scoring quickly via the pass game then SF should win. If KC gets a few quick passing scores I think it will be difficult for them to come back through the passing game, just like it was for Tenn last week.

Mahomes, Kelce, Hill, Watkins, Hardman, and the entire KC Oline (great in pass protection) are speedier than what SF has on offense IMO (Kittle, Samuels and Sanders are talented no question). SF Oline and receivers are better at run blocking which is critical to their success. A must is keeping Mahomes on the sideline and burning clock...

Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Terrell Suggs, Tyrann Mathieu and Dan Sorensen are as good as anyone on SF (the SF Dline can bring pressure normally but can they against the stout #3 ranked KC Oline?). The 49ers have the better linebackers and Richard Sherman...but the SF safeties are susceptible to being burned over the top...I expect at least 3 long strikes from Mahomes to the track team. 

Special teams...I would give the edge to the burners in the return game to KC and Butker (89% lifetime FG percentage) and Colquit isn't shabby either (Houston did block one of his punts). Actually I look at that blocked punt as a good thing...

Overall SF is a very young team...wonder how they will stand up under the spotlight? I look for KC to jump out on top in this one...not like their prior two games. 

Final thoughts on the game: Obviously I think SF is the much more complete football team. I have a sizable edge on them, but it's nothing to bet your whole roll on because Kansas City is a damn good team with an incredible coach/QB combo that is going to win this game quite a few times out of 100. From a non-financial perspective I hope Kansas City wins. Mahomes and Reid are incredibly easy to root for and I hope Reid finally gets a ring. But I think the SF defense will make more stops than the Chiefs. I expect KC to sell out to stop the run early. Shanahan knows this and is going to loosen Jimmy G up and hit play actions behind those stacked fronts early, which is why I have Jimmy G and Kittle/Sanders over. I think Shanahan will go back to the run later after it's opened up and the 49ers run it down their throats. SF wins 31-24.

Obviously, this thread went down in flames last year but I’m going back to the well. Top to bottom the Bucs are the better football team. SF had KC dead to rights last year until Shanahan and Jimmy G blew it. Teams that play the way they did win a massive % of the time. This year the difference is Tom Brady won’t miss the open throws late like Jimmy G did. 

The Bucs have the better OL, DL, LB, secondary, and RB. Call receiving units a wash. KC has the better QB but it’s a way smaller gap that last year.

The Chiefs are also weaker than last year. The OL is down their three best players and the defense is worse by every metric, including dead last by a mile in the red zone. Part of the reason they play so many close games and trail in a lot of these games is that the roster is just not good outside the Top 3-5 players. It’s not so much a “flip the switch thing”.

Has to be said I do think KC has a large coaching advantage and a special teams edge. If the Bucs call a high percentage of early down runs again they may be finished. 

Mahomes is a generational player for sure. If he carries his team to another one then I’ll tip my cap and pay the man again. But I do think Brady is in for a big game. He’s still elite without pressure and the Chiefs have just the 22nd pass rush. He should carve here.

Two key players to me are Chris Jones and Sean Murphy-Bunting. If Jones is causing havoc in the middle then TB’s chances of winning go down significantly. Murphy-Bunting is going to get slot snaps vs Hill and Kelce at points during the game. He just can’t lose those at a high rate.

I’ll take the better football team...again. TB +3