When Super Bowl LIV kicks off Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys will be watching with the rest of us. Nonetheless, not participating in the action brings about the chance to learn from the two best teams in the NFL.

It’s no fluke that the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are facing off in this year’s big game. Both were widely regarded as top-five teams for most of the season. The Chiefs have been Super Bowl favorites since narrowly losing to the New England Patriots in last year’s AFC Championship Game. The 49ers, on the other hand, weren’t among the preseason favorites to make this year’s Super Bowl, but that quickly changed after an 8-0 start.

Rest assured that Cowboys players, coaches and executives will keep a watchful eye over every play call and personnel change in an attempt to glean helpful details that could help them vie for a Lombardi Trophy in the near future.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a couple of things the Cowboys can learn from this year’s Super Bowl participants.

49ers : More frequent use of pre-snap motion

Although this is put in the 49ers category, the Cowboys can learn a great deal about optimizing pre-snap motion from both teams, as both rank at the top of the league in usage.

The GOAT Kyle Shanahan SENDS HIS FB IN MOTION to improve the blocking angles on this TD run.



A vision of beauty pic.twitter.com/da5srKRVs0 — Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 8, 2019

There are countless reasons why pre-snap motion and movement are effective. Put simply, pre-snap movement forces defenses to recognize, communicate and adjust -- three chances for a mistake. Pre-snap movement can help create numbers advantages in the run game (like more blockers than defenders at the point of attack) and pass game (like flooding zone coverage with more receivers than defenders). It can also help create superior angles in blocking and route running.

The 49ers by far use pre-snap motion and movement the most in the NFL -- 75% of their offensive snaps incorporating some kind of pre-snap motion, according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison’s sake, the league average was 47% as of Dec. 11. Even with the increased volume, the 49ers still ranked at the top of the NFL (sixth) in success rate when using motion:

The #Raiders had a top 10 success rate on plays with motion/shifts in 2019 👀#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/81JVzbUrER — PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) January 24, 2020

As you can see in the graphic above, the Cowboys were one of the few teams that were more successful than the 49ers when using pre-snap motion and movement, but Dallas used it much less frequently (~59%). Overall, the Cowboys had a 47% success rate on offense, first in the NFL. When using motion, the success rate climbed to around 50% (above graphic), meaning Dallas was more successful when using motion than not.

It’s not that the Cowboys need to learn how to use pre-snap motion -- their success rate proves they are doing just fine in that area -- they just need to lean into it more, like San Francisco has.

Chiefs : The value of a big, run-stuffing DT

With the proliferation of the passing game in the NFL, the demand for a two-down, run-stuffing defensive tackle has shrunk year over year. But, as the Chiefs can attest, those players still can provide a ton of value.

Everyone knows the Chiefs win mostly because of their prolific offense, but the biggest difference between this year and last year’s Chiefs team is that this year’s defense is actually competent and capable of getting stops in key situations.

One of the biggest reasons for that has been the addition of defensive tackle Mike Pennel, who has been a boon to the run defense since being signed after Week 6. To get an idea of Pennel’s effect on the Kansas City defense, just look at the splits with and without him on the field, paying particular attention to the run defense data (courtesy of The Quant Edge):

Not only do the Chiefs see a 16.2% reduction in run success rate with Pennel on the field, but they also see 1.2% dip in explosive run rate while allowing 1.34 fewer yards per carry.

That's future #Cowboys DT Mike Pennel to you! Does a great job maintaining his gap discipline while expanding laterally with the zone run. Excellent footwork and hand use lead to block destruction and a tackle at the LOS. pic.twitter.com/IaSCsRGgL0 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) January 21, 2020

Pennel was a huge reason why the Chiefs were the team that could finally slow down Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans’ smash-mouth run game. Pennel’s value doesn’t come in his ability to produce, as he’s been credited with just 18 tackles in 10 games as a Chief, but rather how his skill set complements the rest of the defense. He does an excellent job of absorbing blocks without giving up ground, which not only keeps the linebackers clean, but it also enables him to maintain gap discipline.

The ability to stop the run is even more important for the Chiefs because opposing teams often use the ground game to try to eat up clock to keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline. If opposing teams can’t find success on the ground, then it becomes nearly impossible to defend the Chiefs’ offense without self-inflicted errors.

While it appears as though the Cowboys’ new regime will place more value on size at defensive tackle -- which should help the team defend the run -- Kansas City’s success with Pennel showcases the value a run-stuffing specialist can have.

After their significant woes against the run in 2019, the Cowboys would be wise to invest in a run-stuffing specialist at defensive tackle this offseason. It could even be Pennel himself, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

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