Facing Mahomes: Victory may not go to top offense; just ask Manning, Brady
MIAMI — The Chiefs have spent part of their Super Bowl week regaling reporters with tales of Patrick Mahomes, who might be throwing a football while standing on his head as you read this.
Yes, step right up, ladies and gentlemen, let us tell you all about our incredible magic quarterback.
“I think the one the stands out to me,” left tackle Eric Fisher said, “is the nolook pass.”
Tight end Travis Kelce mentioned a “sideways jump pass” against the Browns: “I was like admiring it as he’s throwing the ball. Like, ‘This dude is airborne right now. What are we doing?’ ”
And running back Damien Williams offered Mahomes’ toss when he was being pursued by AllPro pass rusher Von Miller: “He switched the ball and tossed it with his left hand. That’s something you can’t coach.”
But can you stop it?
The answer to that question might decide Super Bowl LIV on Sunday when the 49ers will arrive with their four formidable pass rushers.
Before the season, general manager John Lynch noted the resources the 49ers had poured into their defensive line and said it had to “wreak havoc on the league.” Lynch said the need for QBrattling pressure would be more vital than ever Sunday.
“It’s important each and every week,” Lynch said. “But when you’re playing an offense like this, when you’re playing a quarterback like Mahomes, I think it can be the great equalizer.”
Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, has compiled silly numbers in his first two full seasons as a starter: 9,128 yards, 76 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 30 games
This season, the Chiefs ranked second in the NFL in yards per play (6.2) and fifth in points (28.2 per game).
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defensive front includes four firstround picks: Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford. They have combined for 40 sacks (including playoffs).
The 49ers ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed and were tied for fifth in sacks.
This week, former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman and exRaiders defensive lineman Howie Long — both Hall of Fame players turned Fox analysts — identified the strengthversusstrength matchup as the key to the Super Bowl.
“There aren’t many teams that can match up against Kansas City’s receivers,” Aikman said. “Their front four is going to have to kind of carry the day for them. I think that’s the matchup.”
Said Long: “If anyone can pinpoint something in this game to look at, it’s San Francisco’s ability to get there with four rushers. That’s rare. Most people have to manufacture pressure. That group is really special.”
The 49ers’ ability to harass the quarterback without blitzing has allowed them to devote maximum resources to pass coverage. It’s a combination that explains why they allowed just 169.2 passing yards a game, the fewest in the NFL since the 2009 Jets (153.7).
They’ll face a decorated group of passcatchers Sunday headlined by two Pro Bowlers, tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Mahomes’ exploits and his dynamic playmakers have received far more attention this week.
“Oh no, you’ve got to give the Chiefs all the respect, man,” 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward said. “They earn it. We’re really nobody. We’ve just got to earn it. We’ve got to keep earning it. Nobody’s going to respect us until we earn it.
“So give those guys all the respect. Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the league. Their wide receivers are the fastest in the league. Their running backs catch the best in the league. Probably, their team is the best in the league. But we’ve got to earn it. We’ve got to be better
Sunday.”
Ward appeared to be sincere, but his gushing might inspire flashbacks for longtime 49ers fans to Super Bowl XIX in January 1985.
Before the 49ers’ 3816 win over the Dolphins at Stanford Stadium, head coach Bill Walsh sat down in the locker room and sarcastically began wondering aloud how his 49ers would ever stop quarterback Dan Marino, who had led an offense that scored what was then the secondmost points in NFL history and had received most of the pregame attention.
It’s hardly the only example of a formidable defense shutting down a renowned quarterback and historic offense in a Super Bowl.
The 2013 Broncos, who scored the most points (606) in NFL history with Peyton Manning, lost 438 to the Seahawks. And the 2007 Patriots, who scored the secondmost points (589) in league history with Tom Brady, lost 1714 to the Giants.
AllPro cornerback Richard Sherman, who was part of the Seattle defense that shut down Manning six years ago, was asked if he felt great defenses generally take over big games.
“There’s definitely an impact you expect from your defense when you play well long enough. … You expect to execute,” Sherman said. “With a great offense like this, it’s the great challenge. It’s the greatest challenge you can ask. Because it’s an opportunity to either show how great you are or show that you’re a pretender.”
Former Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson, who has a defensive background, initially indicated he’d side with the 49ers when asked who had the edge in Sunday’s most intriguing matchup.
But then he considered the Chiefs incredible magic quarterback.
“Normally, if I’m going to pick a winner, I’m going to look at who’s got the best defense,” Johnson said. “And then I’m going to say, ‘Who’s got the best quarterback?’ Well, now I’m in a quandary.
“The thing about Mahomes is he gets rid of the ball pretty quick. So that could neutralize that defense a little bit.”