The Kansas City Chiefs exit Week 7 as the NFL’s only undefeated club after taking care of business in San Clara at Levi’s Stadium, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 28-18. The Chiefs offense struggled early on, losing another wide receiver – Juju Smith-Schuster – to injury, and the offensive line allowed the 49ers pass rush to sack quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice. As the game went on, the Chiefs adapted to what San Francisco was doing and countered with three rushing touchdowns to secure the victory.
Mahomes finished the game completing 16 of 27 passes for 154, two picks, and one rushing touchdown.
Both offenses turned the ball over in the first quarter. After Kansas City failed to convert on fourth down with a fake punt, quarterback Brock Purdy gave the ball right back to the Chiefs as Justin Reid picked off a pass that was intended for tight end George Kittle. Six plays into the drive following the takeaway, defensive end Kalia Davis batted up Mahomes’ pass for tight end Jody Fortson and picked it. San Francisco punted four plays later.
Neither team scored until the final minute of the first quarter when the 49ers took a 3-0 lead via a 55-yard field goal by kicker Anders Carlson.
In the second quarter, Kansas City found a rhythm with a 12-play drive that began with two big plays to tight end Noah Gray, one pass for an 11-yard gain and another for 20. Followed by a 20-yard run by Mecole Hardman on a jet-sweep play to move the Chiefs to the Niners’ 39-yard line. Seven plays later, Kareem Hunt steams his way into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to take the lead.
Kansas City retook possession after forcing the 49ers to punt. In seven plays, the Chiefs moved 24 yards down the field from San Fran’s 30-yard line to the six, where Kareen Hunt capped the drive off with his second rushing touchdown of the day. The 49ers struggled to move the ball against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense but kicked through a 24-yard field goal before the half expired to go into halftime down 14-6.
Kansas City got the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Four plays into the drive, Mahomes’ pass for rookie Xavier Worthy landed in the arms of Niners cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, halting the drive. The turnover was Mahomes’ second interception of the day and his eighth of the season. The play occurred when Mahomes threw for a spot Worthy was supposed to be, but the rookie tripped and fell to the turf right as the Super Bowl MVP released the ball.
After the interception, the 49ers managed to move up the field and in eight plays scored on a QB sneak for a one-yard touchdown. Carlson missed the PAT, however, making the score 14-12.
The Chiefs couldn’t maintain possession on their next drive and were forced off the field after five plays. The 49ers offense began from their own 20 and started moving upfield. First, a three-yard scramble by Purdy, followed by a 20-yard burst by running back Jordan Mason. The 49ers ran the ball three more times and earned 17 yards collectively before Purdy attempted his first pass of the possession – a deep ball for Chris Conley – that was defended by Trent McDuffie. On the next play, Purdy threw his second interception of the game to Chris Rolan-Wallace, setting Kansas City up at their 34-yard line.
The Chiefs made the 49ers pay for turning the ball over with another long drive that exhausted their defense. After a pair of short runs, Mahomes converted 3rd and 6 with a seven-yard pass to Travis Kelce. Two plays later, Mahomes converts 2nd and 7 with a long scramble up the sideline for a 33-yard gain to the 49ers four-yard line. On 4th and goal, Mahomes rushes through the middle of the defense for the short touchdown and extends the lead.
Looking to stay in the game, the 49ers come close to scoring as Purdy leads his offense 60 yards to the KC 5-yard line but come up empty-handed when the third-year QB throws his third interception of the game as rookie Jaden Hicks picks him off in the end zone.
Kansas City takes advantage of the takeaway by capping off another long 80-yard drive with a sweep play by Hardman to score an 18-yard touchdown. The 49ers finally responded with a long touchdown drive of their own as time expired. Kansas City improves to 6-0 with the win while San Fran falls to 3-4 on the season.
