Running back Christian McCaffrey will get plenty of attention (more on him later), but Samuel’s presence as a runner is an equally vital piece of the 49ers’ offense. He can move defenders when he goes in motion and be effective anywhere on the field. Aside from his explosive play creation with the ball in his hands, Samuel is also very good on contested throws and offers a high-level security blanket for quarterback Brock Purdy (more on him later) when the ball has to come out quick. A blitz-happy defense should give Samuel plenty of opportunities to create chunk plays off the quick passing game.The Chiefs exist heavily in the short passing game and screen game. Their lack of downfield playmakers have caused Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to simply reel in their diabolical offense. The result is a lot of short throws and route concepts that create yards after the catch. Warner will play in a ton of traffic with plenty of opportunities to drop ball carriers immediately after a catch. He’ll also need to be sharp against the Chiefs’ screen game and in run stopping. A good game from Warner shuts down a lot of what makes Kansas City’s offense successful this season.
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