One of the more intriguing battles taking place during Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday at Allegient Stadium will be between the 49ers' defense and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is very familiar with the 49ers due to their NFC West ties, and explained how San Francisco's defense matches up with Kelce during an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco on Friday at Radio Row in Las Vegas.
Offering his take on the Kelce vs 49ers matchup, McBride explained that it will be hard for San Francisco to contain the Chiefs’ tight end because of his incredible playing ability.
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“Yeah it’s going to be interesting because Travis is such a good player and he’s the guy who makes things happen even when he’s not open so I definitely think they’re going to have to account for Travis,” McBride told Maiocco.
“He’s a tremendous player and I’m actually excited to see what they end up doing, what kind of coverages they’re going to bring, if they’re going to double him, whatever it is. It’s going to be interesting since Travis is a nightmare matchup and I could see him giving the 49ers a little problem.”
Maiocco then asked what Kelce can expect from the 49ers' defense, known for their physical play.
“I think he can expect to get hit off the line, pressed, maybe he’s getting chipped by one of the defensive ends, different things…a lot of him getting hit, rerouted, those kinds of things.” McBride said.
San Francisco 49ers
Kelce has become quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target over the past six seasons, and their near-psychic connection has been a problem for even the toughest of NFL defenses. As the Chiefs have struggled with dropped passes and mediocre play from the rest of their receiving corps, Kelce has been on fire as of late, posting huge games in three playoff games this season.
While the 49ers will counter with the physical play of linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner, San Franciso’s defense has been suspect in recent playoff games, getting absolutely gashed by the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.
With the Mahomes-Kelce duo looming, the 49ers can ill-afford another poor game as they look to get over their recent Super Bowl struggles and win their first Vince Lombardi Trophy since 1995.