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The 49ers’ matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday is primed to be one of the best games of the 2024 NFL season.
The Week 7 matinee at Levi’s Stadium, of course, is a rematch of Super Bowls LVIII and LIV — two not-so-distant memories that have given 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and the Faithful PTSD.
Star Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is ready for another duel with his Bay Area rivals. The two-time NFL MVP has great respect for the 49ers and looks forward to furthering the two franchises’ history.
“I think it’s as big of a regular-season game as you can play in,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday (h/t Kansas City Chiefs). “But I mean, they’re a great football team, and I always like going against the best, and that’s what we’re going against this week.
“We understand that it’s going to take our best to win. You just have to have extreme focus … I think when you have two great football teams that meet up in the Super Bowl and meet up in all these big games, there’s going to be a history between that. We know how good this football team is and we have a ton of respect for them.”
Including Super Bowls, Mahomes is 4-0 in his career against San Francisco. He knows that if a few plays go the other way, that record could look a lot different.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid is on the same wavelength.
Even though Kansas City has come out on top in its biggest games against San Francisco, Reid is more than weary of the 49ers’ talent, especially defensively.
“Their defensive front; it starts with those guys,” Reid told reporters Wednesday (h/t Kansas City Chiefs). “And then they got an All-Pro linebacker sitting right there that’s pretty good along with their secondary. They’re well-rounded, but it starts with their defensive front. Those guys, they set the tempo for their defense.”
The 49ers’ depth has been tested with Javon Hargrave out for the season and fellow defensive linemen Yetur Gross-Matos is on IR. However, veteran edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Sam Okuayinonu have shined recently, and All-Pro Nick Bosa needs no introduction.
Reid expects San Francisco’s D-line to be as formidable as usual against Kansas City. He also anticipates “All-Pro linebacker” Fred Warner to cause havoc with secondary support from defensive backs such as Deommodore Lenoir and ex-Chief Charvarius Ward.
And still, even though Reid is spending considerable time evaluating how his playbook will fare against San Francisco’s defense, the 66-year-old made sure to credit the 49ers’ young stud under center.
“I think he’s a heck of a player,” Reid said about quarterback Brock Purdy. “I remember the head coach at Iowa State (Matt Campbell) saying, “This guy changed the program around.” And when you make a statement like that — and he’s a good football coach – that’s bold. And we all see why he said it. He was right on with that. This kid, he’s a heck of a football player.”
Purdy completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown against Reid in Super Bowl LVIII. “Big Red,” as the Chiefs coach is called, is far from a Purdy-denier and has seen the 24-year-old’s capabilities up close.
The 49ers enter 3-3 and the Chiefs an NFL-best 5-0.
San Francisco will be without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who is yet to play a single snap this season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis. The 49ers also will be without Jake Moody after the kicker suffered a high ankle sprain in San Francisco’s Week 5’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Undefeated Kansas City won’t show any mercy. They’re the two-time defending champions for a reason, and San Francisco knows that all too well.
“We understand that it’s going to be a big game,” Mahomes said.