San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has a tough task ahead in Super Bowl 54 but he’s not underestimating how fast the Chiefs play.
Stopping the Kansas City Chiefs offense is something that hasn’t been done much over the past two seasons. This year, including the playoffs, the Chiefs have been held under 20 points only once. Furthermore, they’ve scored at least 30 points on nine separate occasions, including both of their postseason wins. Yet stopping Kansas City is exactly what Robert Saleh’s San Francisco 49ers defense will be tasked with come Super Bowl LIV.
When you look at the matchup between the 49ers defense and Chiefs offense, it isn’t just as simple as Nick Bosa and the San Francisco defensive line getting after Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City has weapons all over the field that can burn opposing teams in an instant. And it’s the speed that they do it with that really causes problems.
That speed won’t be sneaking up on Saleh and the 49ers though. When asked about the Kansas City offense, Saleh made it clear just how aware he is of the elite speed the Chiefs are going to throw at his unit, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
49ers’ DC Robert Saleh on the Chiefs’ offense: “It almost looks like they got their roster from the Olympic relay team and threw them all on the football field.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 24, 2020
And to be sure, Saleh is also aware that they’re more than just speed as he went on to praise their ability to also make plays with their route-running and hands when they’re moving the ball.
What’s going to be critical for the 49ers defense is to both respect the speed the Chiefs play with while also not being afraid of getting burned by it. That’s undoubtedly a delicate balance that’s hard to find but it’s one that a San Francisco defense that isn’t the fastest group, particularly in the secondary, must work hard to find.
How Saleh uses bracket coverages and the physicality of his linebackers and defensive backs to stop the likes of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman, among others, is going to be one of the defining battles of Super Bowl LIV. But acknowledging and understanding the task at hand is the first part of the battle and it’s clear the 49ers defensive coordinator is well aware of what he’s facing in Miami.