49ers remain on losing side of Chiefs rivalry in 28-18 defeat

Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs was billed as a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII, but this version of the 49ers looked a safe distance from the one that fell just short of a championship in last season's final game.

The 49ers made mistakes in all three facets of the game on Sunday in a 28-18 loss to the Chiefs at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, which was their fifth consecutive loss to the Chiefs after their 25-22 overtime defeat in last season's Super Bowl. Quarterback Brock Purdy had an outing to forget for the 49ers as he threw for 212 yards on 17-of-31 passing with zero touchdowns and three interceptions while adding two touchdowns on the ground. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished the day with 154 yards on 16-of-27 passing with two interceptions and one rushing touchdown.

Running back Kareem Hunt added two touchdowns on the ground for the Chiefs while rushing for 78 yards on 22 carries.

First Half

The first quarter saw its share of twists and turns, starting with some trickery gone wrong for Kansas City. After 49ers opened the game with a three-and-out, the Chiefs appeared to be set to do the same after being held to a stop on a 3rd-and-2 at their own 44-yard line. But they instead sent a direct snap to defensive back Jaden Hicks on a fake punt, and the 49ers were ready, forcing a turnover on downs at the 45-yard line.

That opportunity quickly went up in smoke, however. On the first play after the fake punt, Purdy was intercepted by safety Justin Reid, who gave the Chiefs possession at their own 42-yard line. The Chiefs moved deep into 49ers territory after the interception, but the 49ers stopped the threat with an interception of their own when defensive tackle Kalia Davis tipped a Mahomes pass at the line of scrimmage and caught the ball off the deflection at the 30-yard line.

The teams exchanged three-and-outs after Davis's interception, then the 49ers took over at their own 41-yard line. A defensive pass interference penalty moved the ball into Chiefs territory, but the 49ers stalled from there and were forced to settle for a 55-yard field goal attempt from kicker Anders Carlson, which sailed through the middle of the uprights to give the 49ers a 3-0 late first quarter lead.

The Chiefs took momentum from there, first with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a scoring run from Hunt for the game's first touchdown. Two completions to tight end Noah Gray for 31 yards put the Chiefs into 49ers territory to start the drive, then after a 20-yard run from wide receiver Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs chipped away until Hunt ran in from one yard out for a 7-3 lead.

Another three-and-out for the 49ers followed the touchdown, then the Chiefs found themselves deep in 49ers territory again after a 55-yard punt return from Hardman. After a series of short gains put the Chiefs in a 1st-and-Goal, Hunt scored his second consecutive touchdown when he fought through a couple of 49ers defenders and fell into the end zone for a six-yard score and a 14-3 advantage.

The two teams exchanged punts again following Hunt's second touchdown, then the 49ers showed signs of life on offense during their final possession before halftime. The 49ers took over at their own 10-yard line with 1:39 remaining in the second quarter and put together a nine-play, 84-yard drive that included a 42-yard completion to tight end George Kittle, but they were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Carlson as time expired to cut the Chiefs' lead to 14-6. The Chiefs finished the half with a 170-131 edge in overall yardage with a 12-5 advantage in first downs, while converting 4-of-7 third downs compared to just 1-to-7 for the 49ers. The 49ers also had six penalties in the first half and trailed in time of possession 18:47 to 11:13.

Second Half

While the 49ers couldn't turn their first half opportunities into touchdowns, the second half started out in more positive fashion after getting an early interception from cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. Lenoir picked off Mahomes on the third play of the half, setting the 49ers up with possession at the Chiefs' 23-yard line.

Seven plays later, the 49ers cut the lead to 14-12 when Purdy ran into the end zone from one yard out. Purdy gave the 49ers a 9-yard gain on 3rd-and-10 and a first down dive on a 4th down earlier in the drive, then put the 49ers in the end zone before Carlson's extra point attempt bounced off the left upright to keep the 49ers within two.

The 49ers forced a three-and-out on the next possession, then appeared to be heading towards putting more points on the board when they moved inside the Chiefs' 40-yard line on their next drive. But on a 3rd-and-6 from the 34-yard line, Purdy floated a pass towards cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, who intercepted the pass and gave the Chiefs the ball at their own 21.

The Chiefs turned the interception into a touchdown due in large part to the footwork of Mahomes. On a 2nd-and-7 at the 49ers' 37-yard line, Mahomes scrambled around the corner of the defense, made linebacker Dee Winters miss, then rumbled on a career-long 33-yard run to the 4-yard line.

The Chiefs faced a 4th-and-Goal from the 1-yard line three plays later when Mahomes took to the ground again. Mahomes took the snap in the shotgun and ran up the middle into the end zone to give the Chiefs a 21-12 lead, giving a shoulder to safety Malik Mustapha in the process.

Purdy's rough day continued on the next drive, which spanned 65 yards on nine plays before finishing in his third interception of the game. Three plays after a 41-yard completion to wide receiver Jacob Cowing moved the ball to the Chiefs' 10-yard line, Purdy made a throw into the end zone that went right into the hands of Hicks, giving the Chiefs possession with just under 10 minutes left in the game.

The Chiefs extended their lead after that, putting in a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard touchdown run from Hardman to take a 28-12 lead. The Chiefs took over six minutes off the clock on the drive before Hardman took a sweep around the left end and gave the Chiefs a 16-point lead with just over three minutes to play.

The 49ers put one last scoring drive together that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run from Purdy but missed the ensuing two-point conversion to leave the score at 28-18. The Chiefs then ran out the clock and moved to 6-0 on the season with the win, while the 49ers fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Game Notes: The 49ers were 1.5-point favorites over the Chiefs heading into the game... The Chiefs now have an all-time 10-7 edge over the 49ers and have won the last five games in the series... Rookie wide receiver and first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall made his NFL debut on Sunday. Pearsall missed the first six games of the season after being shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco on August 31... Both Pearsall and Cowing had their first NFL catches during the game... With Jauan Jennings out of Sunday's game due to a hip injury, the 49ers wound up extremely short-handed at receiver overall during the game as Deebo Samuel was unable to play due to an illness while Brandon Aiyuk left the game due to a knee injury sustained on this play... Left tackle Trent Williams was ejected late in the fourth quarter for throwing a punch at Chiefs safety Bryan Cook... Carlson was the third kicker in three weeks for the 49ers, who lost Jake Moody to an ankle injury in Week 5 and Matthew Wright to a shoulder injury in Week 6... The 49ers will be back at home next weekend for a Sunday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys (8:20 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. PT, NBC). The Cowboys will come into the game off a bye week with a 3-3 record after a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 6.

Related News

• 3 takeaways after 49ers lose to Chiefs again Audacy • 6 hrs
• Notes from disastrous 49ers performance vs. Chiefs Niners Wire • 6 hrs
• Chiefs' dominating defensive effort delivers 28-18 victory over 49ers Pro Football Talk • 5 hrs
• Instant analysis of 49ers' 28-18 loss to Chiefs in Super Bowl rematch The Mercury News • 5 hrs
  May require subscription
• 49ers Studs and Duds: Brock Purdy's disaster game adds insult to injuries The Mercury News • 5 hrs
  May require subscription
• Maiocco's Observations: Purdy struggles in 49ers' loss to Chiefs NBCS Bay Area • 5 hrs
• San Francisco 49ers 18, Kansas City Chiefs 28: Grades SI.com • 3 hrs
• Maiocco's 49ers Report Card: Team grades in rough loss to Chiefs NBCS Bay Area • 3 hrs