3 ways the Chiefs’ defense made the difference in Super Bowl LVIII victory

There were specific themes to the Chiefs’ success defending the 49ers’ talented offense.

The Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LVIII was revealed as Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes following the 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He earned it, leading a tight comeback in overtime.

In a world where he was disqualified, several Chiefs’ defenders made their own case for the game’s MVP. The unit withstood blows from San Francisco’s offense to make crucial plays, allowing Mahomes to be the hero at the end.

Like many times this season, the defense made the difference between a close win and an avoidable loss. I looked at three ways the Chiefs used that side of the ball to secure their second consecutive title:

Resiliency in the trenches

The hammering style of the 49ers’ rushing attack presents a challenge for any defensive front it faces. The Chiefs prepared for the matchup without starting nose tackle Derrick Nnadi or defensive end Charles Omenihu, while San Francisco was full strength up front.

By the end of the game, the 49ers’ running backs totaled 88 rushing yards over 24 attempts, just 3.7 yards on average. There was relentless effort by the Chiefs’ defensive front to compress run lanes. It prevented running back Christain McCaffrey from getting a head of steam into open space; his longest carry of the game went 11 yards.

It starts with the defensive tackles. In this clip, Mike Pennel, Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton contribute to six run “stops” — the PFF metric that tracks tackles constituting a failure. That trio accounted for six of the eight “stops” made by a Chiefs’ defensive lineman.

Chris Jones deserves a lot of credit for his effort on early downs. In Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid’s Tuesday press conference, he estimated Jones “pushed himself further than he though he could push himself.” Jones constantly worked to get off blocks and chased stretch runs down. To a lower degree, Wharton was also active in shedding blocks.

At nose tackle, Pennel has been stout all playoffs — but it was cranked up against San Francisco. He led all Chiefs’ defensive linemen with six tackles, one of them for a loss.

The 32-year-old has the mass to stand his ground against double teams but also shows off long arms that allow him to control individual blocks. That shows up on these plays, the first of which shows Pennel burying All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams into the turf before making a run stop.

Disruption on first down

The run defense was about bending, not breaking — but the Chiefs needed to create significantly negative plays to mix in. It’s the same story from matchups with the Miami Dolphins this season: blow up a play on first down, then take advantage of a more predictable offense playing from behind the sticks.

The Chiefs’ primary disruptor on first downs was linebacker Leo Chenal, despite only playing 36% of the defensive snaps. On the 49ers’ first possession, Chenal made the unit’s initial big play by prying out the ball from McCaffrey’s hands on a first-down carry.

On many first downs, Chenal is used as an attacker — whether that means he blitzes, or blows up a play to the sideline as an edge setter. He has the athleticism to make the most of a pass-rush snap, but also the strength to hold his own against strong blockers: Tight end George Kittle had trouble consistently paving a path for outside runs due to Chenal.

Trust in the coverage players

Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has shown off a lot of trust in the members of Kansas City’s secondary. That didn’t change in the Super Bowl; in fact, that trust may have been pushed to a further limit.

Despite facing the most talented group of skill players the Chiefs have all season, Spagnuolo was still very reliant on man coverage: it was the second-highest rate of man the 49ers have faced this season. When you boil it down to Cover 0 — single coverage with no safety help — no team ran a higher rate in a game against San Francisco (21%).

The premier matchup was slot cornerback Trent McDuffie against wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Despite the team-leading 11 targets, Samuel was only able to manage three catches for 33 yards. According to PFF, McDuffie was responsible in coverage for six of the throws; only one of those passes finished complete.

When the 49ers needed a pass to convert third down, Samuel was rarely available to quarterback Brock Purdy. He is covered by McDuffie right off the line, failing to create separation on quick or longer-developing routes. When Purdy was sacked for the only time, McDuffie’s sticky coverage completely eliminated Samuel as an outlet from the slot.

The biggest coverage snap by McDuffie came early in the game. On this third and long, the Chiefs send a heavy blitz, successfully blowing up the pocket — but Purdy maneuvers it well and sets himself up to throw downfield. It rarely ends well for the defense when a Cover 0 blitz still allows a clean, deep pass.

Despite McDuffie leveraging himself to defend a quicker throw, he stays with Samuel as the receiver tries to accelerate past him vertically. McDuffie keeps pace and stays in Samuel’s pocket, positioning himself to look back and defend the pass with his off hand. The textbook coverage looked much easier and seamless than it was.

On one of the game’s most crucial snaps, McDuffie was trusted again; this time, to leave his coverage post and blitz Purdy. The trust pays off because McDuffie executes the timing so well, waiting to trigger until the split second Purdy drops his eyes to look for the snap. That maximizes the amount of ground he covers, increasing his chances at knocking down the pass.

It was a difference-making play, one of many by the Chiefs’ defense. Mahomes may have been the MVP, but his defense set him up to win it.