Nhat Meyer/Bay Area Media News Group
The reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs have been somewhat underrated throughout the season's first few weeks. That tends to happen when people get bored of greatness or are accustomed to seeing consistent results in excellence, as they want to see who the next great team is. While teams such as the Texans, Ravens, and Lions seem to be getting more buzz, the Chiefs have still been handling business on the field, improving to 6-0 after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 28-12.
The 49ers had many unforced errors, such as Brock Purdy’s three interceptions to the 49ers' special teams, allowing a significant punt return by Mecole Hardman that allowed the Chiefs to get excellent field position to help the Chiefs score. The 49ers were dealing with a plethora of injuries to key players, from wide receiver Deebo Samuels (illness) to Brandon Aiyuk, who exited the game carted off with a torn ACL and MCL late in the second quarter after taking a low hit on a catch that bent his knee awkwardly.
The Chiefs are also banged up, with Isiah Pacheco (fibula), Rashee Rice (knee), and Juju Smith-Schuster leaving the game with an apparent hamstring injury. Despite all the injuries, the Chiefs continue to show their championship pedigree with the next man-up mentality. Guys such as running back Kareem Hunt have stepped up in this Chiefs offense, and they have helped give them a respectable, reliable running game until Pacheco’s return.
Patrick Mahomes showed us the magic he’s shown us numerous times throughout his illustrious career despite not having the best offensive game. He showed up when it mattered most with the biggest rushing gain of his career-33 yards on a beautiful throw fake that helped him get inside the 49ers' red zone. His vision is 3D-like in how he seamlessly sees everything and how the game has slowed down for him, which is scary for opposing defenses.
Mahomes capitalized with a rushing touchdown through the open gap the 49ers defense left him for an easy score. The Chiefs are not the explosive offensive team with those kinds of weapons they once were consistent during the early Mahomes era. Still, they have gotten more innovative and efficient in their offense, playing winning football, resulting in back-to-back Super Bowls.
Their defense has been impeccable. They have one of the best-run defenses in the league (3.7 yards per run, 4th in the NFL), which did an incredible job against the 49ers. Their defense hasn’t allowed a quarterback to throw for 300+ yards in a game since their Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been churning a well-oiled machine defensively in a unit that looks primed to make another run at a Super Bowl.
What makes the Chiefs more impressive is they’ve won the last two games with Mahomes throwing zero passing touchdowns. Unheard of. They are now the only undefeated team (6-0) in the league, with the Vikings losing to the Lions.
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