The San Francisco 49ers scored a lot of points in 2023. The offense regularly scored 30 or more and was one of the most prolific in the NFL. But in Super Bowl LVIII, against the Kansas City Chiefs, they only scored 22 points. One major reason is the Chiefs' defense, led by Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, one of the best in the business.
Greg Papa, the radio voice of the 49ers, recently sat down with San Francisco Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, for a new episode of "49ers Game Plan" on NBC Sports Bay Area, to discuss the upcoming matchup with the Chiefs. As you might imagine, Shanahan had a lot of good things to say about Spagnuolo's defense.
"I've gone against him for so long, going back to when I was a coordinator in Houston, back in 2008 and '09," Shanahan said. "So, he's always had a system, just like I have, but it always evolves, and it gets harder and harder to go against. Going against him in the Super Bowl, to me, was the best that it had been, the best defense that we played last year.
"I think their players have been playing together for a long time and you can see that. They drafted a lot of their players. They kind of groomed them that way. They communicate so well, [and] they're coached so well at all three levels."
It's fascinating that Shanahan admits Spagnuolo's defense gets harder and harder to face. It shows how he's improved his approach and scheme over the years. And his Chiefs' defense is playing as well as any, to the point that some believe the defense has been carrying Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense. Shanahan and his offense know all too well that they have their work cut out for them on Sunday, especially with the creativity Spagnuolo brings to each game.
"They do a lot of things that tie in all together," Shanahan added. "So, right when you want to attack one thing, they have the opposite thing that you don't want to attack. So, they put you in some binds like that that make it hit or miss, and they feature their best players very well.
"And when I say it was the best defense we played last year, it's definitely the best defense we've played this year so far."
Scoring on the Chiefs' defense was difficult last year. But it may be a greater challenge this season, as the 49ers are currently without star running back Christian McCaffrey. The team has been dealing with other injuries on offense that could slow them down, namely WR Deebo Samuel (wrist), RB Jordan Mason (shoulder), and WR Jauan Jennings (hip). Jennings will miss Sunday's game, but rookie WR Ricky Pearsall is scheduled to make his NFL debut.
The Chiefs are one of the league's best at stopping the run. So the 49ers will need to find a way to establish the run and protect QB Brock Purdy. If they can establish at least some threat of a run game, they can use play-action to keep the Chiefs' defense guessing. That will give the 49ers their best shot at scoring points against this talented defense.