A $8.7 million contract has been agreed between the 49ers and….

The most prolific receivers in playoff history are Jerry Rice and Travis Kelce. Which means the 49ers better have a good plan for defending Kelce in the Super Bowl.

The last time the 49ers faced Kelce was Week 7 of 2022, and in that game he caught 6 passes for 98 yards, and the Chiefs won 44-23. Whatever the 49ers did, it didn’t work.

To be fair, DeMeco Ryans was the defensive coordinator for that team, and now the DC is Steve Wilks. He most likely will have a completely different game plan than the one Ryans failed with last season.

Zone coverage is a strategy that both Ryans and Wilks enjoy using, and Ryans tried utilizing it against the Chiefs the previous season. Big mistake. Zone coverage is Kelce’s breakfast food. In order to identify the gaps in the zones, he modifies his routes, and Mahomes is aware of his intended destination. With zone coverage, Kelce is unstoppable.

Thus, the 49ers must cover him man-to-man. Moreover, they must double cover since even that is insufficient. Linebacker and safety should be placed on him to make Patrick Mahomes chuck it to someone else.

because there aren’t any standout wide receivers on the Chiefs. Though a terrific rookie, Rashee Rice isn’t as good as Charvarius Ward, who will cover him. Deommodore Lenoir, who will match up with him, is a better deep threat than Marquez Valdes-Scantling, another player on the Chiefs.

For the 49ers, double covering Kelce is essential to winning. Shutting him down is the first step in everything.