The 49ers got smoked at home by the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that may have bigger implications than just a Week 7 loss. San Francisco looked outcoached, overmatched, and in general like a team that has no business thinking about a trip to the Super Bowl.
Buy 49ers TicketsThey have a week to get right against the Rams before heading into the Bye week.
Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s 44-23 loss:
Defense exposed
The Chiefs exposed every conceivable flaw in the 49ers’ defense. They lived in second-and-short and went six-for-seven on third downs when Patrick Mahomes was in the game. Kansas City got whatever it wanted on the ground, through the air and in the red zone. They averaged 10.2 yards per play with their starters in and went four-for-five in the red zone. San Francisco’s pass rush was non-existent and their secondary looked as lost as it has looked all season. The gap between this team and a championship is WIDE.
Penalty problems
It was reminiscent of Week 1 on the penalty front. Not only did they commit 10 penalties for 80 yards, but most of them were procedural and put them behind the sticks on a handful of first downs. They also had a handful of long plays nullified by penalties. Going backwards is not a good way to beat a team as good as Kansas City, and giving them free yards by lining up offsides or jumping offsides is even worse.
QB play matters
The gap between the 49ers and Chiefs is widest at the QB spot. While Patrick Mahomes improvised, escaped pressure, and aired out accurate deep balls, Jimmy Garoppolo was his usual up-and-down self. He made a few very nice throws, but couldn’t escape the drive-killing mistakes. The expectation is not for Garoppolo to be as good as Mahomes, since only a couple teams have QBs that can match the Chiefs signal caller’s level of brilliance. The expectation is to at least convert in the red zone and take care of the football. Garoppolo didn’t do either thing well enough Sunday.
Christian McCaffrey debuts
It’s clear already why the 49ers added McCaffrey. He adds some electricity to their offense that nobody else can really provide. McCaffrey played 18 snaps and got 10 touches for 62 yards. Once he’s fully involved in the offense they’ll put up a ton of yards. Points? TBD.
National Tight Ends Day
It was a good day for 49ers tight end George Kittle on National Tight Ends Day. Kittle had by far his best game of the year with six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. It’s the second game in a row San Francisco has gotten Kittle more heavily involved in the offense. They’ll need more of that from him if they’re going to salvage this season.
No longer the West's best
The 49ers loss dropped them to 3-4 this season, which dropped them out of first place in the NFC West. They’re now behind the first-place Seahawks who blew out the Chargers, and the Rams who were on a Bye. San Francisco is going the wrong direction going into a huge division game in Los Angeles.
