The San Francisco 49ers got their first glimpse on Wednesday of the game plan against the Kansas City Chiefs. For the defense, it will mean finding a way to stop or slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner knows they will have to play disciplined football against the Chiefs and try to make Mahomes uncomfortable if they hope to emerge as the Super Bowl LIV champions.
"As a defensive line, you need to go and attack all day," Buckner said on Friday, "and once you put out the run and you start pass-rushing, you want to consistently put pressure in his face, whether it's just pressure up the middle, off the edge, getting hit, and also getting sacks.
"So, you just want to make him uncomfortable. You don't want to have him back there because a quarterback like him, when he has time to throw, he'll make you pay. We just need to do a really good job rushing as a unit."
The 49ers defense racked up 48 sacks during the regular season, tying for the eighth-best total in the NFL. That's a significant improvement over the 37 the unit tallied in 2018, which tied for No. 22 in the league.
San Francisco owns the No. 2 ranked pass rush in the NFL, according to DVOA, and has gotten to opposing quarterbacks nine times in its two playoff games.
"You've got to play good defense," cornerback Richard Sherman said when asked about defending against Mahomes. "You've got to contain the receivers. You've got to do your job. You've got to limit the big plays, but it's easier said than done for sure."
Added Sherman: "He got the MVP last year for a reason. He throws a great deep ball. He trusts his receivers. He's creative with how he gets the ball to them. They have an explosive offense. He's tailor-made for Andy Reid's system."
The 49ers and Chiefs kick off Super Bowl LIV from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on February 2.