The 49ers won’t win the Super Bowl if they don’t improve their run defense.
The 49ers are giving up 5.6 running yards per attempt and 158 rushing yards per game through two postseason games. Those are disgusting figures. During the regular season, they would finish utterly bottom in the NFL.
However, the 49ers have some options for improving their run defense.
They must first pack the box with eight defenders. The 49ers have used two deep safeties in seven-man boxes to stop long throws during the entire season. The run has been able to exploit these fortifications with great ease. They will be destroyed by Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco if they play light seven-man boxes against him.
Now that Tyreek Hill is out of the picture, the Chiefs have no incentive to play two deep safeties. Their offensive isn’t quick enough. Pacheco’s the best weapon they have. Stop him and make their wide receivers beat man-to-man coverage.
Second, when the Chiefs deploy two or three tight ends, the 49ers must abandon the Wide 9 front. The Chiefs are no longer an offense that uses one tight end and three wide receivers, but the Wide 9 is still effective against those teams. They will prevail if they achieve their goal of winning the fight of the trenches. The 49ers have to occasionally play a five-man line and have done so in the past. It’s efficient and has Javon Kinlaw at nose tackle.
Finally, the 49ers have to actually play hard. The past two games, the players admitted to not playing their hardest, which is mind boggling. Run defense is not glamorous — it’s all about effort. The 49ers have to put in the work. Simple as that.
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