When the 49ers played the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 23, 2018, tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 114 yards.

While the 49ers' defense has gotten much better since then, the challenge of stopping the two-time All-Pro remains the same.

For the fourth straight season, Kelce surpassed 1,000 yards receiving, finishing 2019 with 1,229, the most among all tight ends.

But the 49ers allowed an NFL-low 552 receiving yards to tight ends during the 2019 regular season.

So what's the major challenge that Kelce faces against the 49ers' dominant defense?

"That the five guys standing next to him block those rushers," Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco on Radio Row in Miami on Friday. "That's the biggest challenge in Travis getting the football. I think that's part of the reason San Francisco has had so much success here on defense. Those guys put pressure on the quarterback and they put pressure on the quarterback in a hurry."

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The 49ers face a stiff test Sunday. Not only do they have to worry about Kelce and the guy throwing him the ball, Patrick Mahomes. But defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's unit needs to account for wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Sammy Watkins.

You can watch the full interview with Rudolph at the top of this article.