When the San Francisco 49ers face off with the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game, two coaches will be the x-factor.
49ers DC Steve Wilks and Lions OC Ben Johnson will decide who heads to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 11. Wilks and Johnson are two of the best coaches at their respective positions. Both should eventually be head coaches in this league, and Johnson is more than likely headed in that direction after the playoffs.
Their creativity and consistency puts them on a whole different level and whichever coach manages the better game plan will see his team emerge the victor.
Ben Johnson's magic
Johnson's Lions offense is a difficult one to game plan for. He tailors the plan of attack based on the defense they are facing.
Per Sports Info Solutions, the Lions offense lives in two personnel groups, 11 and 12 personnel. 11 personnel means three wide receivers, a tight end, and a running back are on the field together. While 12 personnel means two tight end sets with two receivers and one running back. Here's NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks breaking down these packages.
The Lions use 11 personnel for 64% of their snaps with a success rate of 45%. They rank 6th in the league with 37% run usage out of this grouping with a success rate of 42%.
Johnson loves to spread a defense out across the field to optimize his offense's usage of space. This is a part of the stress defenses go through when preparing for the Lions' offense.
This Lions offense loves to throw off play-action. 96% of their passing plays this season have shown the run action to force false steps and toy with the eyes of the defenders.
They have a 52% success rate completing passes off play-action.
Combined with their usage of pre-snap motion, this offense can give the 49ers defense similar issues as the Green Bay Packers did during the divisional round.
Steve Wilks' answer?
Wilks and the 49ers defense lives in zone coverage in 2023. They run zone on 66% of their defensive snaps. Their success rate is 41%.
This 49ers defense is not known as a blitzing unit. They rush four down defensive lineman 79% of their snaps. This is important to get after and make Lions QB Jared Goff uncomfortable.
Nick Bosa and Chase Young must be prepared to stop/limit the push at the line of scrimmage versus the run. This will allow them to pin their ears back and hunt Goff on designated passing downs.
In addition, Wilks runs an abundance of middle-of-the-field open coverages with two high safeties in the back of the defense.
This is what we call the game within the game.
Which of these outstanding coaches will be able to make the right call at the right times on Sunday to help their team prevail?
Time will tell, but we are in for a treat of high-level football when these two teams and coaches square off.
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