NFL

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

· National Football League
6-0, 3-0 Away
Final
28 - 18
3-4, 2-2 Home

Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs stay undefeated, beat 49ers 28-18 in Super Bowl rematch

Bill Belichick to McAfee: Mahomes, Chiefs find a way to win

Patrick Mahomes overcame two interceptions to deliver a few big plays with his feet and the Chiefs remained the league's only undefeated team, beating the 49ers 28-18 Sunday in a Super Bowl rematch.

“I just don’t think it’s normal for what you’ve seen from us because there’s not a lot of passing touchdowns,” Mahomes said after going back-to-back games without a TD pass for just the second time in his career.

“There’s been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. I think it’s just showing the versatility of our team. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football and I believe if we continue to work, we’ll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field. But until then, it’s nice to know that we have a great running game, we’ve got a great defense and we’re able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games.”

The Chiefs (6-0) ran for a season-high 184 yards and got four TDs on the ground for the first time since the 2018 playoffs against Indianapolis. The defense did the rest with three interceptions against Brock Purdy and the 49ers (3-4) on a day when Mahomes had his second fewest yards passing ever (154) in a game he didn't leave injured.

Mahomes made his best plays without throwing the ball. He had a 33-yard scramble where he juked Dee Winters by stopping near the sideline and then continuing for more yards. That set up a 1-yard scramble on fourth-and-goal when he lowered his shoulder to knock over hard-hitting rookie Malik Mustapha at the goal line.

“He's just a playmaker,” said Kareem Hunt, who ran for two scores. “Whenever the ball is in his hands, he can make plays with his arm or legs.”

The stakes and the quality of play weren't at the same level as eight months ago when Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime for their third Super Bowl title in five seasons.

But the result was the same with Kansas City winning its fifth straight over San Francisco, including two Super Bowls.

The game came with a potentially heavy price for San Francisco. Brandon Aiyuk was carted off after getting hit on his right knee while making a catch late in the first half. Coach Kyle Shanahan said the team fears that Aiyuk tore his ACL.

Aiyuk's absence proved crucial late in the third quarter when the 49ers were driving with a chance to erase a 14-12 deficit.

Purdy threw an off-target pass to backup receiver Ronnie Bell, leading to an interception by rookie Chris Roland-Wallace. The Chiefs then turned that into a touchdown thanks to Mahomes' two runs.

Mahomes finished 16 for 27 for 154 yards and has eight interceptions and six passing touchdowns this season. But that has been enough for Kansas City to become the 10th defending Super Bowl champion to start the following season with six straight wins.

“We got plenty of room to improve on things,” coach Andy Reid said. “Eventually guys will start coming back. But the thing I appreciate the most are guys stepping up and then the other guys trusting them to step up and believing in them.”

Purdy wasn't much better as the defenses had the better of this game. He went 17 for 31 for 212 yards with two TD runs and three interceptions. His third pick came in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter with San Francisco trying to mount a comeback.

“We didn’t do anything really good on offense,” Shanahan said. “I know he’d love to have all three of those picks back. Brock’s been playing unbelievable this year. He’s done some good things on offense this year but today wasn’t that day.”

Pearsall's debut Niners rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall made his debut exactly 50 days after being shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco. Pearsall was activated from the non-football injury list and came in for his first play on San Francisco’s opening drive. He caught his first career pass late in the second quarter and finished with three catches.

“It meant everything considering all the adversity I went through this past month,” Pearsall said. “It was really good to go out there with my guys again.”

His presence was needed since San Francisco played the second half without its top three receivers. Jauan Jennings missed the game with a hip injury, Deebo Samuel played only four plays because of an illness, and Aiyuk got hurt late in the first half.

Ejected Niners All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams got ejected late in the fourth quarter after punching safety Bryan Cook in the helmet.

Injuries Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson (ankle) left in the second half with an injury that Reid said could be long term. ... WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) left in the first half.

Up next Chiefs: Visit Las Vegas next Sunday.

49ers: Host Dallas next Sunday night.

How can I watch Chiefs vs. 49ers?

  • TV Channel: Chiefs at 49ers 2021-22 NFL, week 7 is broadcasted nationally on FOX and NFL Sunday Ticket.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Chiefs vs. 49ers on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

49ers: 50.8%
Chiefs: 48.8%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

SF FG 1st Period 1:06 Anders Carlson 55 Yd Field Goal
KC TD 2nd Period 11:24 Kareem Hunt 1 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick)
KC TD 2nd Period 6:45 Kareem Hunt 6 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick)
SF FG 2nd Period 0:00 Anders Carlson 24 Yd Field Goal
SF TD 3rd Period 10:29 Brock Purdy 1 Yd Run (Anders Carlson PAT failed)
KC TD 4th Period 14:13 Patrick Mahomes 1 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick)
KC TD 4th Period 3:09 Mecole Hardman 18 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick)
SF TD 4th Period 1:08 Brock Purdy 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/kc.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKC https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/sf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSF
22 1st Downs 19
11 Passing 1st downs 8
11 Rushing 1st downs 7
0 1st downs from penalties 4
8-14 3rd down efficiency 2-11
1-2 4th down efficiency 1-1
68 Total Plays 56
329 Total Yards 310
4.8 Yards per Play 5.5
11 Total Drives 11
145 Passing 209
16/27 Comp/Att 17/31
5.0 Yards per pass 6.5
2 Interceptions thrown 3
2-9 Sacks-Yards Lost 1-3
184 Rushing 101
39 Rushing Attempts 24
4.7 Yards per rush 4.2
4-5 Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-4
4-48 Penalties 6-40
2 Turnovers 3
0 Fumbles lost 0
2 Interceptions thrown 3
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
35:04 Possession 24:56

Game Information

Levi's Stadium

Location: Santa Clara, CA
Attendance: 71,309 · Capacity:

2024 AFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Kansas City 7 0 1.000 0 173 123
Denver 5 3 .625 0 173 120
Los Angeles 4 3 .571 0 132 91
Las Vegas 2 6 .250 0 144 210

2024 NFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Arizona 4 4 .500 0 178 205
San Francisco 4 4 .500 0 210 182
Seattle 4 4 .500 0 190 195
Los Angeles 3 4 .429 0 144 174
Full Standings

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