49ers have had "fun" trying to mimic Patrick Mahomes before Super Bowl

11 February 2024 , 07:45

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Sam Darnold has had a lot of fun mimicking Patrick Mahomes in practice (Image: Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers have been gearing up for their Super Bowl LVIII face-off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Part of their strategy involves running a scout team, where backup players mimic the opponent's offense to give their defense some practice. This can be tricky when facing the Chiefs, thanks to Mahomes' unique skills and his spontaneous plays with Travis Kelce.

The task of simulating what the 49ers defense might come up against has fallen to backup quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen. Despite the pressure, they've enjoyed trying to play like Mahomes.

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Darnold said: "It's fun. You get to run around and make plays." He added: "It's funny...the coaches come in the huddle and they're like, 'we want you to try and hit this, if it's not there, scramble', and I'm like, 'alright, I was gonna do that anyway!'."

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He explained: "This whole week was just trying to hit number one and number two (receivers). If someone was wide open, hit it, but if they're not then just scramble around to try and make a play."

Allen, who's at his third Super Bowl as a third-string quarterback, shared: "It's been a fun couple of weeks for us."

Brandon Allen has also enjoyed running scout team offense in Super Bowl prep (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

He also praised Mahomes: "Obviously know what he (Mahomes) can do on that side of the ball. He can make crazy throws, crazy plays."

Allen added about their practice freedom: "So they've kind of given me and Sam (Darnold) free reign to go out there and try all the throws. Try to make the right throws, but when everything is covered, try to scramble and make a big throw, so it's been fun."

This approach is quite different from Kyle Shanahan's strict passing strategy, which has helped Brock Purdy succeed. Despite their different talents, Darnold and Allen are enjoying this unique Super Bowl preparation experience.

Rich Jones