Carolina Panthers: 2019 Chiefs provide a blueprint for the 2020 Panthers
By Alex Duran
Dumbfounding the best defense for a second year
This is the second year in a row that we’ve seen an offense make the difference in a Super Bowl. The matchup that most were looking forward to before Super Bowl LIII was Tom Brady and his sidekicks Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski versus the “no fly zone” created by Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. Nevermind the Suh and Donald duo that people were raving about for months.
That game went back and forth between defensive stances and resulted in a low-scoring affair thanks to the efforts of both defenses, but the Patriots pulled it off thanks to a seemingly effortless drive between Brady and his passing targets in the last quarter. Likewise, the Chiefs used a hurry-up offense to accentuate the strength of their receiving corps after an exhausted 49ers defense had been thrown off balance.
The 49ers prided themselves on having a dominant defensive front all year, but when they had to make a stand they either got punched in the mouth by Williams or they got dusted by Mahomes. After a few third down conversions the Chiefs were able to take advantage of the 49ers’ lack of confidence in the line and get more successful passing plays in.
By the end of the night the 49er defense looked silly running after Mahomes or leaving a wide receiver alone in open space. The twenty-four-year-old had successfully countered the 49ers greatest strength, but he couldn’t have done it without his band of stalwarts.