SANTA CLARA — The Kansas City Chiefs’ ownage of the 49ers continued on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
Andy Reid’s squad, the NFL's only unbeaten team, breezed past the 49ers in a Super Bowl LVIII rematch that looked more like a mismatch.
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It was a rough day for the 49ers’ offense, as they played most of the game without their top three wide receivers in a 28-18 loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
The 49ers struggled particularly on third downs, as Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had all the answers. The 49ers converted just 2 of 11 of their third-down attempts.
The loss drops the 49ers to 3-4 on the 2024 NFL season and one game back of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West standings.
Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 7 loss:
San Francisco 49ers
Shorthanded At Wide Receiver
The 49ers welcomed rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to the action on Sunday. And they did not have the luxury of easing him into the action.
San Francisco played the second half without its top three receivers, and the biggest concern surrounds Brandon Aiyuk. He was carted off the field at halftime after sustaining a knee injury late in the second quarter.
Brandon Aiyuk remained down on the field after taking a big hit 🙏 pic.twitter.com/MVy0Glk5Bx
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 20, 2024
The 49ers ruled out Aiyuk from returning to action early in the third quarter, which usually is an ominous sign when a quick determination is made on a knee injury.
The 49ers already were without two of their top three receivers.
Deebo Samuel experienced an unspecified illness and was not available for most of the game. He was ruled out in the middle of the third quarter. And Jauan Jennings was inactive for the game due to a hip injury he sustained in the 49ers’ Week 6 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Therefore, the 49ers were forced to turn to Pearsall, Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell to play receiver for most of the game against one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Pearsall played most of the game by necessity. He caught three passes for 21 yards.
Ricky Pearsall hauls in his first career NFL catch 🙌 pic.twitter.com/abDi99n63n
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 20, 2024
Now, the 49ers might need Pearsall more than ever with Aiyuk’s long-term status unclear. While Samuel should be back next week, Jennings' availability for the Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys is in question.
Off-day For Mahomes, Purdy
Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, by any standards, are two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
It sure did not look that way for most of Sunday’s game.
Mahomes struggled against the 49ers’ defense, and the Chiefs made it difficult for Purdy, too.
But Mahomes made use of his legs to contribute to his team’s sixth consecutive win to open the season. Mahomes had a 33-yard run in which he made linebacker Fred Warner and Dee Winters miss. Then, he took it in from 1 yard out for the touchdown to give Kansas City a 21-12 lead early in the fourth quarter.
MAHOMES RAN THROUGH HIM FOR SIX 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/TeQBBvUjyv
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 20, 2024
Purdy and the decimated 49ers’ offense had a tough game.
In the third quarter with the 49ers driving for the potential go-ahead points, Purdy’s pass for Ronnie Bell was intercepted by Chris Roland-Wallace. It was not immediately clear if Purdy was off-target or Bell ran the wrong route.
Christian Roland-Wallace gets the Chiefs their second INT of the day!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 20, 2024
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/eClsLX1zqV
On the 49ers’ next possession, Purdy was hit by Kansas City defensive end George Karlaftis as he was throwing and safety Jaden Hicks made the pick in the end zone.
A HAT TRICK OF PICKS 🪄 pic.twitter.com/rp3Nq7Q4N2
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 20, 2024
For the game, Purdy completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for 212 yards and zero touchdowns with three interceptions and a passer rating of 36.7. Purdy ran in two 1-yard touchdowns.
Mahomes did not exactly light it up, either, as he ran his career record against the 49ers to 5-0.
He completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 154 yards and zero touchdowns with two interceptions and a passer rating of 44.4.
49ers Go Younger On Defense
On the most important downs of the game, the 49ers went with at least four players with fewer than two years of NFL experience.
The 49ers made two significant changes to their nickel defense. Rookie cornerback Renardo Green supplanted veteran Isaac Yiadom on passing downs, and Winters, a second-year player, took over for De’Vondre Campbell as the every-down linebacker.
Rookie safety Malik Mustapha had a big day for the 49ers made his third start as a rookie in place of an injured Talanoa Hufanga. He led the 49ers in tackles with 12.
The 49ers’ defense played well for most of the game, as Kansas City did not have a prolific offensive performance.
The 49ers have been working the young players into the mix little by little, and Sunday was their biggest step toward going with more speed on the defensive side of the ball.
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