It is rare in the modern game that elite running backs have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl. Since the 1990’s Dallas Cowboys featured Emmit Smith. Very few have been able to play on the game’s biggest stage.
This year, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Fransisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58, where they will see the league-leading rusher, Christian McCaffrey.
The Chiefs will face the unique challenge that very few teams have had to deal with in the Super Bowl in the last 20 years: playing the league’s best back.
Tackle breaking
McCaffrey is one of the game’s elite players at breaking tackles, and he did so to find yards on plays when he should have been stopped. His combination of contact balance, vision and strength all played significant roles in him leading the league in yards after contact.
Missing tackles against CMC is a surefire way to give up big yards. He led the league in rushing yards after contact with 573.
The double team by the TEs helps create movement on the toss, but the edge is almost able to win the D gap. He gets close, but CMC is too strong. pic.twitter.com/qkWsS5OJ59
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 6, 2024
McCaffrey can easily run through arm tackles while still keeping his vision downfield and preparing to make the next move.
Breaking tackles in the run game helped him turn out a near-1,500-yard season running the ball, but it took him to another level in the passing game. He ended the season with 564 receiving yards (second for a running back in the NFL) and seven touchdowns. This gave him a 2,000-yard season overall, in addition to 21 touchdowns.
Many of these yards were due to his ability to shake free of the first contact.
CMC is out of the backfield on the snap. Purdy checks it to him quickly with the rush in his face. The safety recognizes the play an is in position to make the stop, but another missed tackle and CMC is off to the races. pic.twitter.com/mqM0JY2DiU
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 7, 2024
Where McCaffrey can become particularly dangerous is out of the backfield when teams find themselves lined up on him with a man-to-man linebacker. This allows McCaffrey to put himself in space and force poor tackle attempts. Even when linebackers are closing in, they are asking for trouble if they don’t try to tackle McCaffrey below the waist.
Explosion
Great contact balance and an ability to make quick cuts and break tackles made McCaffrey a good back, but his explosive speed put him over the top. During the regular season, he was third in the league in rush over 20-plus yards with nine and 40-plus yards with three (his longest being 72 yards).
GB’s defense flows hard when the see the toss option, but up front, this is blocked like a midzone look. Perfectly executed and great reach blocks from 65 +64. The safety has a chance to make a play but he misses. CMC shows why he is special after that. pic.twitter.com/x27KtAgwLP
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 7, 2024
So far in the postseason, McCaffrey hasn’t ripped “the big one,” but he has had explosive runs of 39 and 25 yards. He also caught one pass for 28. All it takes is one missed tackle, assignment, or bad call — and he could be off to the races.
Redzone menace
The 49ers were the league’s most efficient offense in the red zone in 2023, scoring a touchdown on 68% of possessions. McCaffrey played a big role in this, scoring 13 of his 14 total touchdowns inside the 20-yard line.
The 49ers were one of the best teams in the red zone all season long. Their OL excels in these short-yardage situations. Here the down blocks root out the DL, the LG pulls for power, and CMC crashes in. 2 back power, and Juszcyzk blasts the EOL. pic.twitter.com/hiQspKOfYz
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 6, 2024
The 49ers’ offensive line is good in goal-to-go situations. They use leverage and strength to create movement off of the ball. With blocks from players like George Kittle and following behind Kyle Juszcyk, McCaffrey has been nearly unstoppable in the red zone.
How to stop him
The Chiefs’ defensive coordinator frequently talks about “block destruction” when describing how he wants his team to play the run. This very simple concept involves blowing up a running back’s blocks and then attacking them once all running lanes are taken away.
The Chiefs are very good at playing team defense, and against an elite back, it will take a full team effort to stop him.
The block destruction will start up front with the defensive line.
Wyatt does a good job of beating the reach block and then working off of it as CMC tries to break back into the A gap. The defense does a good job to condense on him quickly. pic.twitter.com/3f16kmCpQo
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 7, 2024
The 49ers’ offensive line is solid, but they can sometimes give up penetration into the backfield.
They run their classic mid-zone look with McCaffrey, but Jon Feliciano is moved off the spot by Devonte Wyatt. This penetration forces McCaffrey to cut back, but Wyatt is there to engulf the running back.
Setting the edge is also essential against the 49ers’ toss packages. The Chiefs faced similar looks in the Wild Card round when they were able to bottle up De’Von Achane and the Miami Dolphins. Spagnuolo’s unit found a way to bottle up former Kyle Shanahan disciple Mike McDaniel, and this week, they will see the looks that McDanie’s offense is based on.
Good work by Detroit to set the edge against the toss. The LB’s shift with Juszyzck. The DL does a good job of not allowing themselves to be reached down the line, and the LBs do a great job of forcing it all back inside. pic.twitter.com/Oo843XSnLj
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 7, 2024
Detroit found some early success stopping the run against McCaffrey.
Matching the 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) with eight in the box, Detroit can set the edge against Juszyzck and Kittle, forcing McCaffrey to look for a cutback. The rest of the defense flowed hard, and they stuffed McCaffrey in the backfield.
Kittle and Juszyzck are the best in the business regarding blocking for their positions, so being able to beat them at the point of attack will be huge for the Chiefs.
Perhaps the most crucial thing the defense can do this week is rally to the ball when McCaffrey is running. San Francisco’s blocking scheme is elite, but even well-executed plays can be stopped with ferocious effort.
Williams gets the edge reached, and Juszyck kicks blocks out the LB, but they are able to force the run back inside. CMC made the correct cut, but Detroit’s LBs were flowing hard over the top to make the stop. pic.twitter.com/dPq12hDIGz
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 7, 2024
All-Pros Trent Williams and Juszczyk reach their men, and both have solid blocks. McCaffrey sees some green and makes his cut, but the Lions linebacking core was in hot pursuit of the toss and was able to work over their blocks to cut off McCaffrey and hold him to a small gain.
The Lions also have several other players end the play near the sideline, a blatant sign of respect for what McCaffrey can do in the open field. In a game of this magnitude against a player of this magnitude, there is no time to take a play off.
The bottom line
McCaffrey is the best the league has to offer, and on Sunday, the Chiefs’ success will hinge on stopping him. The Chiefs’ defense has not been good against the run this season, but Spagnuolo and his unit will have two weeks of preparation.
It won’t be easy, but winning Super Bowls never is.