Teams have always picked on certain opponents more than others but Andy Reid’s three-game winning streak against Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers includes a pair of Super Bowls. But according to another Super Bowl head coach, the individual who will impact Sunday’s rematch more than anyone isn’t Reid or Shanahan; it’s Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Bill Belichick said on Wednesday’s edition of Inside the NFL that Spagnuolo will not allow quarterback Brock Purdy to beat Kansas City with his legs.
“It’s going to be a big matchup,” said Belichick. “I think the 49ers are going to have to get a lot of yards on first and second down, and try to skip some third downs. They’re going to have to handle the pressure and they’re going to have to beat man-to-man coverage.”
They have to beat man-to-man coverage, Belichick said, because Spagnuolo has more of a tendency for that scheme against San Francisco than other opponents. The Chiefs have shown man-to-man looks on 61 percent of their snaps against the 49ers, compared to 45 percent in other games.
Belichick broke down clips from Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime win in February, showing how Spagnuolo put 10 men at the line of scrimmage on early downs to take away the 49ers’ run. And when the Chiefs got the 49ers to third-and-long, the coach diagramed how Spagnuolo schemed to keep Purdy in check. If that happens again Sunday, get ready for more man-to-man.
“And Spags is not going to allow the quarterback to run for a first down,” Belichick said. “He’s going to make him throw it.
What’s more, as co-host Chris Long pointed out, when the Chiefs do force the 49ers into third-and-long, watch for defensive tackle Chris Jones to move out on the edge opposite right tackle Colton McKivitz. That’s something with which Spagnuolo also had success in the Super Bowl.
Kansas City is the AFC’s last remaining undefeated team, surprising many. With a win on Sunday, the Chiefs would be the seventh defending Super Bowl champion this century to open the following season 6-0, joining Belichick’s Patriots in 2004, 2015 and 2019, as well as the 2011 Green Bay Packers, 2007 Indianapolis Colts and 2000 St. Louis Rams.
San Francisco, meanwhile, is trying to break out of a Super Bowl hangover that has affected many teams who’ve lost the big game in recent years. The 49ers (3-3) host Kansas City at Levi’s Stadium in America’s Game of the Week (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX).
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