A game that promised fireworks proved to be anything but. The San Francisco 49ers lost again to the Kansas City Chiefs, 28-18, failing to avenge their Super Bowl defeat from the previous season. The 49ers played a sloppy and inefficient game on offense, and they could not capitalize on the numerous chances they received in this game.
Brock Purdy in particular struggled against Steve Spagnuolo and this Chiefs defense that took advantage of the 49ers injuries at the wide receiver position. Not having Deebo Samuel for almost the entire game due to an illness and losing Brandon Aiyuk at the end of the first half to what appears to be a significant knee injury took the wind out of their passing game. Kyle Shanahan will not be pleased when he reviews the film on Monday.
The 49ers Offensive Struggles
To put it frankly, the 49ers got bullied by the Chiefs defense on almost every level. Their normally stout rushing attack was completely stifled, especially in the first half. Jordan Mason was able to get the running game going a little bit in the second half, but it didn’t amount to much ultimately, as San Fran only ran for 101 yards. They also had multiple third and short situations in the first half in which they failed to convert on the ground.
Somehow, the passing attack was even worse. Losing Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk was not ideal, but even accounting for that, Brock Purdy was bad on Sunday. He wasn’t under too much pressure, and he still made several inaccurate throws into tight coverage. Brock Purdy was lucky to only come away with three picks because he could’ve thrown another few. With the Niners injuries at wide receiver, the Chiefs played to their strengths by running a ton of man coverage, and Purdy struggled mightily.
The last huge issue with the 49ers was on third down. Brock Purdy and the 49ers went 2-of-11 on third down in this game. Purdy further exacerbated these issues by throwing a red zone pick on third and goal in the fourth quarter down 21-12. The final score may not entirely reflect it, but the 49ers had their chances to win this game and for most of the game, Brock Purdy threw those chances in the garbage.
San Fran’s Defensive Performance
If you told Kyle Shanahan before the game that Patrick Mahomes would only throw for 154 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, he’d probably think the Niners won that game going away. Instead, the 49ers surrendered 28 points to Kansas City’s offense. The point total doesn’t entirely reflect the Niners defensive performance though. They managed to completely shut down Travis Kelce, holding him to just four catches for 17 yards. They also managed to pressure Mahomes in the first half, with Nick Bosa getting a few pressures and a half-sack.
However, the Chiefs were able to have their way with Niners defense on the ground. They rushed for 184 yards on almost five yards a carry. In the second half, the Niners weren’t able to get much pressure on Mahomes. At the end of the day, even the Niners defense played far from perfect, they did play well enough to win this game. They were put into a lot of bad situations, with both of their touchdowns given up in the second half coming off of demoralizing Brock Purdy interceptions. The second touchdown drive for Kansas City started at San Fran’s 30-yard line off a punt return.
Despite the Chiefs injury woes at wide receiver, the 49ers played it conservatively with their coverages, opting for more of their bread-and-butter soft zone. Unfortunately for them, it cost them as the game went on, as on the Chiefs second to last possession, they converted multiple third downs with Mahomes taking advantage of their soft coverage. This bled the clock and KC put the dagger in the 49ers with a twenty-yard rushing touchdown from Mecole Hardman.
Final Thoughts
The 49ers got thoroughly outplayed and outcoached against the Chiefs. Brock Purdy made way too many mistakes and despite multiple chances to take the game for themselves, they couldn’t. Next week, the 49ers take on the Dallas Cowboys in front of the nation on Sunday Night Football.
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