The San Francisco 49ers lose to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs at home on National Tight End’s day, 44-23. It was an ugly loss at home, led by mental mistakes, miscues, and a silhouette of penalties committed by the 49ers in all three phases of the game. As a result of the loss, they drop to a record of 3-4 and second place in the NFC West division to their divisional rival, Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco 49ers Self-Inflicted Wounds
The abundant number of mental mistakes and miscues were the game’s story for San Francisco. They had ten total penalties, on offense and defense, for 80 yards and did not play crisp, clean, and efficient enough to win. The 49ers’ sloppy play, especially on defense, was taken advantage of by Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce.
The San Francisco 49ers’ elite defense did not look the part against the high-octane offense of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs’ offense cut through the 49ers’ defense like a hot knife through butter all game. They allowed 528 yards, 423 yards passing, and an average of 9.1 yards per play. Mahomes’ 423 yards passing yards is the most the 49ers’ defense has given up ever since head coach Kyle Shanahan took the job in 2017.
San Francisco 49ers New Look Offense
The mental mistakes were not solely on the defense, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense contributed to the penalty total, but despite the loss, the new-look offense was good. The new look offense tallied up 429 yards against a good Chiefs defense. The offense was not perfect, by any means, but this loss was not on the offense.
San Francisco debuted their brand new player they received via trade from Carolina, Christian McCaffery, and he immediately impacted from the start. He played 21 snaps, had ten touches, and 62 total yards in his debut. In his first game with the 49ers, despite joking with the squad three days ago, McCaffery was solid in his debut.
McCaffery’s first four plays were a run of ten yards, a run of nine yards, a catch for 13 yards, and a run of 12 yards. He brought new and refreshing energy to the offense that instantly showed why he’s one of the most effective, elusive, and diverse running backs in the National Football League. Look for McCaffery to gain a much more significant role in the offense for the rest of the season.
The San Francisco 49ers have too many weapons to only score 28 points, and players in the locker room notice the lack of scoring. The second-year wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, told the media that the offensive player makers need to step up after the game. “I just feel like we have too many…too many players that can change the game only to score 23 points.”
Aiyuk is correct. The San Francisco 49ers have too many playmakers on offense, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Aiyuk, Jeff Wilson Jr, and Aiyuk, to only score 23 points. It’s frustrating, nonetheless, to watch a high-powered offense consistently settle for field goals in the RedZone. The 49ers must fix their RedZone woes to be considered a legitimate playoff team.
National Tight End’s Day
It was National Tight End’s day today, and the founder of the nation’s next great holiday, George Kittle, had every reason to celebrate. George Kittle had a great game. He finished the game with six catches on nine targets, 98 yards receiving, and a receiving touchdown. He was one of the few bright spots for the offense against the Chiefs.
Kittle bested his counterpart, Kelce, who had an identical stat line without a touchdown catch and showed why he is one of the elite tight ends in the NFL. However, the San Francisco 49ers need to keep Kittle involved in the passing game because he creates significant mistakes in the open field.
Picking Up the Pieces
The 49ers need to pick up the pieces after a sloppy and embarrassing loss to the Chiefs and get ready to face the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game at Sofi Stadium. If they aim to get back to a .500 winning percentage, they need their defense must play a much more crisp and fundamentally sound game against the rams. It starts and ends with the pass rush.
The defensive line needs to generate a consistent pass rush against the Rams, starting with Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam. The defensive line is the strength and foundation of the San Francisco 49ers, and will only go as far as their defensive line allows this season.
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