And they also meet once more, this time with the stakes a lot decrease.
There are many acquainted faces, greater than you’d count on contemplating the final time the 49ers performed the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs was in Tremendous Bowl LIV following the 2019 season.
Coaches Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid. Quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Patrick Mahomes. Tight ends George Kittle and Travis Kelce. The 49ers nonetheless have 19 gamers who had been on the roster that season, together with injured reserve, and 12 for the Chiefs.
That’s loads contemplating the NFL’s standard price of roster turnover.
The 49ers weren’t ok, dropping a 10-point fourth-quarter lead because the Chiefs received 31-20 in Miami. San Francisco has been struggling to maintain up ever since, with a 19-20 regular-season file not together with a pair of playoff wins and a title sport loss in a wild card season a 12 months in the past.
Kansas Metropolis, in the meantime, is 30-9 within the common season with two extra AFC West titles (the Chiefs have received the division six straight seasons) and one other on the best way. There was a Tremendous Bowl loss to Tom Brady and the Bucs and final season’s second-half meltdown towards Cincinnati within the AFC title sport.
Since each fell in need of a Tremendous Bowl rematch final season, Sunday’s regular-season sport at Levi’s Stadium must do.
The 49ers are hurting bodily however at 3-3 have the identical file because the Rams and Seahawks within the NFC West, with Arizona trailing the sector at 2-4.
The offensive personalities of each groups are mainly intact. The 49ers are nonetheless play-from-in-front plodders who depend on protection with huge strikes few and much between, partially as a result of Trey Lance broke his ankle in Week 2 and scuttled Shanahan’s plans to turn into — ahem — extra just like the Chiefs.
Reid, like Shanahan, has acquired criticism on the subject of clock administration, however he’s additionally probably the most inventive pink zone coach within the NFL and has properly let Mahomes be Mahomes when issues get off schedule.
That doesn’t imply the 49ers can’t win, however they're house underdogs for the primary time since final Nov. 15 towards the Los Angeles Rams — a sport they received 31-10.
A take a look at how Sunday’s sport shapes up:
GAME ESSENTIALS: Chiefs (4-2) vs. 49ers (3-3) at Levi’s Stadium, 1:25 p.m. (Fox). ODDS: Chiefs by 3 1/2.
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS OPTIMISM
Dwelling discipline benefit
Keep in mind when the 49ers went greater than a calendar 12 months with out profitable at Levi’s Stadium? That ended final season within the win over the Rams that turned their season round. Since then, the 49ers have overwhelmed, so as, Minnesota, Atlanta and Houston final season and Seattle and the Rams once more this season.
That's six straight wins, and solely the Vikings have come inside 10 factors, and did so with a late 99-yard kickoff return.
Potential return of Bosa, Williams
Possibly that is wishful considering and the 49ers can be trying on the lengthy sport, realizing how desperately they want their two cornerstone gamers in the event that they hope to win the division and make a run within the playoffs.
The guess right here is Williams is nearer than Bosa, who could get the identical two-week remedy Kittle did at the start of the season. But it surely’s an enormous raise if each are on the sector. Edge rusher and left deal with would be the two most essential positions apart from quarterback, and Bosa and Williams rank at or close to the highest.
A Chiefs letdown?
Certainly the Chiefs notice they couldn’t presumably end behind any of their counterparts in a division that was imagined to be loaded however as a substitute has three groups that seem critically flawed. Solely the Chargers look able to making a run, and even that’s trying like a attain.
Oh, and Kansas Metropolis is coming off a massively emotional 24-20 loss to Buffalo and heads right into a bye after taking part in towards the 49ers. A lot is fabricated from Reid’s file popping out of byes. He’s 20-3 with Philadelphia and Kansas Metropolis (13-1 with the Eagles, 7-2 with the Chiefs). Going right into a bye is a unique story. Reid’s groups are 11-12 (6-8 with the Eagles, 5-4 with the Chiefs).
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS PESSIMISM
Report following two-week highway journeys
3 times beneath Shanahan the 49ers have stayed on the highway when confronted with back-to-back highway video games and every time returned to Levi’s Stadium with a powerful thud.
The 49ers stayed in Youngstown, Ohio, after a Week 1 win over Tampa Bay in 2019, defeated Cincinnati, then got here house, dedicated 5 turnovers however beat the Steelers 24-20. Later within the season, after a 20-17 loss in Baltimore, the 49ers practiced at IMG Academy in Florida, beat New Orleans, then misplaced 29-22 to Atlanta at Levi’s.
In 2020, after sweeping the Jets and Giants and training at The Greenbrier in between, the 49ers fell to Philadelphia at house 25-20. Final season, the 49ers obtained the Greenbrier remedy once more after a Week 1 win over Detroit, adopted by a win over Philadelphia. In Week 3, the 49ers misplaced to Inexperienced Bay 30-28.
Protecting Kelce
If Talanoa Hufanga is recovered from a concussion after coming into the protocol Monday, he and Tashaun Gipson are a stable pair of safeties. However whereas Kelce is listed as a decent finish, he’s moved round by Reid like a chess piece and Mahomes all the time is aware of the place he's. Kelce has seven landing receptions in six video games, 4 of them approaching the Raiders on brief pink zone completions.
Shanahan should be taking notes on the right way to get Kittle free, though the 49ers’ tight finish admittedly has extra blocking duties than Kelce.
Not determined sufficient
The 49ers have extra established veterans than most groups and that’s normally a great factor. However this can be a group that is aware of when it’s go-time. They will learn the standings, and notice a loss to Kansas Metropolis isn’t going to finish their season.
There's a rematch with the Rams following the Chiefs, then a bye week. After the bye, it’s conceivable the 49ers might have Bosa, Williams, Elijah Mitchell, Arik Armstead and Azeez Al-Shaair again within the fold.
After the Atlanta loss, Shanahan all however shrugged his shoulders, noting the minus-3 turnover deficit, Atlanta’s third-down conversion price and the 49ers’ personal points concerning personnel due to accidents. They haven’t been backed right into a nook but. Not even shut.
PROBABLE DIFFERENCE MAKER: QB Patrick Mahomes
Even with final season’s second-half collapse towards Cincinnati and throwing a late choose towards Buffalo final week, Mahomes stays the usual bearer for younger quarterbacks together with Josh Allen. He’s proven he could be affected person towards shell defenses after the Tyreek Hill commerce, can flip a damaged play into a giant gainer and has 17 landing passes to 4 interceptions — the identical as Allen. The 49ers took Solomon Thomas with the third choose of the 2017 NFL Draft, with Shanahan conceding throughout Tremendous Bowl week earlier than they performed the Chiefs he hadn’t appeared into Mahomes as a lot as he ought to have.