Did the Chiefs Show That the 49ers Have an Overrated Defense?
The Chiefs took the 49ers to the woodshed.
It was an embarrassing loss for the 49ers as they were completely outclassed, and it wasn't ever even close. Kansas City was just better in every aspect of the game.
One of the bigger disappointments came from the 49ers defense. They allowed a season-high in 44 points, 529 total yards, and six-of-nine third-down conversions. This is a side that is supposed to be elite, yet the Chiefs made them look putrid. The 49ers had made opponents look average or mediocre offensively, but once they actually faced a legitimate side, they faltered. It makes you wonder if the defense was only dominant because they faced middling offenses so far.
So did the Chiefs show that the 49ers have an overrated defense?
To an extent. Look, the 49ers defense was going to get cracked at some point this season. And with their stockpile of injuries to key players, it was only a matter of time before they had an unraveling game. It makes sense that their unraveling game came against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. The defense started out well, but just couldn't sustain that level for the rest of the game.
“I just feel like we came out with some good juice," said Charvarius Ward. "We just didn't keep it up, we just didn't maintain it. They started to make some plays and we stopped making plays. That's what it was. They were making plays and we weren't making plays. Got to have better energy, better eyes, better techniques. We just played a sloppy game on defense. We can't do that.”
It wasn't just the energy that tapered off as the game went on. A staple of the defense is the defensive line. For as great of a pass rush the 49ers have, they were completely neutralized versus the Chiefs. One sack is all they mustered and the overall pressure throughout the game was nonexistent. The aggressiveness that they play and hold true to was used against them by the brilliance of the Chiefs. And the 49ers had no counter to it.
“I think we made some mistakes, including myself in the first half," said Nick Bosa. "That allowed them to stay on the field and when you don't force them to get into those passing situations, you kind of let them fall forward and get those four or five yard runs. You never really get in the position that you want to be in and we need to do a better job on the D-line for sure."
The 49ers defense definitely benefited from facing lesser offenses. The whole "historical defense" narrative doesn't carry weight. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that they are still a fantastic side.
And they'll remind everyone of that against the Rams in Week 8.
