Last season it took ten weeks for the San Francisco 49ers to get their first win. After falling just short in their opening game, the 49ers were able to hold onto a victory in week two. Now they head into the unfriendly confines of Arrowhead stadium to meet the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are averaging an imposing forty points per game over the first two weeks. The deck is certainly stacked against San Francisco, but a big game from wide receiver Pierre Garcon will give them the best chance at a season-altering win.
Pierre Garcon Needed for Win over Kansas City Chiefs
Take Advantage of the Kansas City Defense
The red zone struggles are clearly still an issue for San Francisco. Trading touchdowns for field goals won’t get it done against an offense as good as Kansas City. As the time of possession builds for San Francisco, they will find more opportunities to wear down the Chiefs defense and hopefully punch in touchdowns over the course of the game. The Chiefs had to play against two of the top offenses in weeks one and two, but their defense showed multiple areas of weakness in each matchup. Meanwhile, against a very stout Minnesota Vikings in week one, the 49ers were able to string together several impressive drives but fell short on scoring due to turnovers and drops.
The Chiefs offense is built to run and keep the pedal to the metal, this approach leaves their defense completely gassed and susceptible to big plays. The 49ers will need to avoid the mistakes of week one to take full advantage of the Kansas City defense. Look for Garcon to be deployed across the middle of the field to help set up the outside zone running attack. This will vastly improve the red zone offense as Garcon and the other key contributors of the offense will be able to get to the perimeter when it counts the most.
Do Whatever it Takes to Move the Chains
While there were several positive plays in their week two game against the Detroit Lions, it was the sixty-six yard run by Matt Breida late in the third quarter that broke the game open for San Francisco. The second year running back flashed his quickness, vision, and awareness but the co-star of the impressive play was Garcon. Staying engaged in the play for over forty yards, Garcon put out maximum effort paving the way for Breida to score. These types of plays are contagious within a locker room as players see the immediate return for their effort and contribute to huge plays.
That level of effort is needed for them to take full advantage of a vulnerable Chiefs defense. Keeping drives going and cashing in on the explosive play opportunities is the only way San Francisco can stay in this game. Head coach Kyle Shanahan can scheme up a variety of ways to spread the defense out but the hustle plays are usually the difference between a drive proceeding or stalling out. Garcon can help keep drives moving with his route running and effectiveness on third downs as well.
Last Word
If this game turns into a track meet, it will be nearly impossible for San Francisco to keep up. Grinding out longer drives that also mix in deep gashing plays will keep the Chiefs defense on the field as long as possible. This will help wear them down while also containing the high powered Kansas City offense on the sideline.
Obviously, the spotlight is also on both of the quarterbacks as Patrick Mahomes and Jimmy Garoppolo represent the future of the position. Mahomes has put up a gaudy touchdown pace while Garoppolo is looking to continue his growth within Shanahan’s offense. A player like Garcon can impact the game both on and off the stat sheet as we saw last week. While there are no moral victories in the NFL, showing that the offense can hang with Kansas City will add to the belief and confidence that the 49ers are on their way back to distinction.
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