Chaos will be unleashed in Week 7 when the San Francisco 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs. It is a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII that occurred eight months ago. The 49ers suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Chiefs that they’ll want to avenge. The stakes aren’t the same, but there is a mental hurdle the 49ers must overcome. Kansas City has owned the 49ers since 2018, so a win will be huge for their psyche. Achieving victory is easier said than done against the Chiefs. Aside from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the 49ers struggle to defeat the Chiefs because of defensive tackle Chris Jones. He is a game-wrecking pass rusher that the 49ers can never slow down. However, that should change this week thanks to 49ers’ rookie right guard Dominick Puni. He will be the difference maker for the 49ers defeating the Chiefs.
49ers Dominick Puni is the Difference Maker Against the Chiefs
In every matchup with the Chiefs, Jones has decimated the 49ers. He is a problem that the 49ers can never figure out, which is fascinating. The 49ers were always able to neutralize Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald when he was playing. Yet, they can’t even do half of that to Jones. Well, they should be able to for this matchup thanks to Puni. You wouldn’t think that a rookie would stand a chance against one of the best defensive players in the league. On paper, that is a matchup for disaster and one that Jones should win. However, Puni has been one of the best guards in the NFL. Pro Football Focus has given him a grade of 78.3, which is exceptional, especially for a rookie. He hasn’t allowed a single sack or hit to quarterback Brock Purdy this season.
Beating the Odds
It’s incredible to see how amazing Puni has been playing this season. He wasn’t supposed to be the starting right guard entering training camp. It wasn’t until injuries occurred to starter Spencer Burford and veteran Jon Feliciano. That opened it up for Puni to step in and receive first-team reps. However, he needed to take advantage of it. If Puni didn’t look the part, the 49ers would’ve looked elsewhere. Head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t usually a fan of starting rookies. So, for Puni to earn a starting job means that he is a tremendous talent. He’s proven it so far through six games this season. Now, he gets a chance against the Chiefs when he faces his greatest challenge yet.
The Matchup
Jones will want to test Puni to see if he is the real deal. That is what he likes to do with rookies or potential weak links. He did that in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Should his matchups not be as easy as initially thought, expect him to go against right tackle Colton McKivitz. He is easily the Achilles heel of the offensive line. That is the likely outcome to occur. Puni has been that good. Facing Jones will be a tremendous litmus test for him to see where he is at and how far he needs to go to ascend.
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