The Kansas City Chiefs continued their win streak in week seven of the National Football League (NFL), with a 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Oct. 20. These two teams met in Super Bowl LVIII, with the Chiefs winning 25-22 on the last play of the game in overtime.
Both team’s quarterbacks in week seven had a rough game, throwing for no touchdowns and five interceptions combined. The 49ers injury bug only got worse. According to NFL, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Monday, Oct. 21 that wide receiver Deebo Samuel was hospitalized after the game with pneumonia; he was discharged from the hospital the Tuesday after the game. Samuel only played a few snaps in this game. The 49ers also lost wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) he suffered during the game. Aiyuk will miss the remainder of the season with the injury. As a result, 49ers’ rookie Ricky Pearsall made his NFL debut after being shot during a robbery attempt in August.
The first drive for both teams did not result in any points, the teams then traded interceptions, with 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy throwing a pick to Chiefs’ safety Justin Reid, and Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, giving the ball back to San Francisco by throwing a pick to Niners defensive tackle Khalia Davis. San Francisco and Kansas City would both punt on their next drive, however, after those drives, San Francisco would make a 55 yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. The Chiefs would get the ball, and run a few plays before the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with Kansas City keeping possession of the ball, as Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was able to get the Chiefs on the board with a one yard touchdown run. The next Niners drive would result in a punt, Kansas City then drove down the field as Hunt got into the endzone for the second time on a six yard touchdown run, making the score 14-3. The next drive for each team would result in a punt. San Francisco was able to make a 24 yard field goal, making the score 14-6 at halftime.
The Chiefs got the ball to start the second half, but the drive was short lived as Mahomes threw his second interception of the game, this time to cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. The 49ers took advantage of the turnover as Purdy ran into the endzone for a one yard touchdown, however, they were not able to make the extra point, keeping the score at 14-12. The Chiefs punted on their next drive, but they got the ball right back as Purdy threw an interception to rookie cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace. The Chiefs took advantage of the interception as Mahomes had a 33 yard run, which would be one of the last plays of the third quarter.
The Chiefs were able to score in the fourth quarter, as Mahomes had a one yard touchdown run, making the score 21-12. Purdy made a crucial mistake as he threw his third interception of the day to safety Jaden Hicks; the Chiefs would score again, this time on a 18 yard touchdown run by wide receiver Mecole Hardman. The score would become 28-12. The 49ers managed to squeeze in a touchdown near the end of the game, as Purdy ran in for his second touchdown of the day, but they failed to score on the two point conversion. San Francisco then tried an onside kick, but they were unsuccessful in recovering it. The Chiefs ran the clock out as they left Levi’s Stadium with a 28-18 win over the 49ers.
The Chiefs finished with 329 total yards, as Mahomes completed 16 of his 27 passes for 154 yards and two interceptions. Hunt led the team in rushing with 22 carries for 78 yards. Noah Gray led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 66 yards. The 49ers had 310 total yards. Purdy completed 17 of his 31 passes for 212 yards and three interceptions. Jordan Mason was San Francisco’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 58 yards. George Kittle led the 49ers in receiving with six catches for 92 yards. Pearsall notched three catches for 21 yards in his NFL debut.
Kansas City improved to 6-0 on the season, as they will head to Las Vegas to play the Raiders. The absence of star running back Christian McCafferey has had a big impact on the 49ers, McCaffrey has not played this season due to Achilles tendonitis. The 49ers fell to 3-4, and look towards the future as they will next host the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football”.
