Chiefs score late to top 49ers in preseason opener, 19-16

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs faced off in a somewhat sluggish preseason opener at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Saturday night, but in the end it was the Chiefs who were able to scratch out a 19-16 win on a go-ahead drive with just over a minute remaining.

The 49ers trailed 13-9 with just under three minutes in the game when running back JaMychal Hasty punched the ball in from four yards out for a 16-13 lead. The Chiefs answered with a drive that put them ahead on a touchdown run by quarterback Shane Buechele.

The game featured the debut of 49ers first-round pick Trey Lance, who finished 5-of-14 for 128 yards with one touchdown, zero interceptions, one fumble, and he was sacked five times.

Here's a recap of what went down in each quarter.


As it Happened - First Quarter

The 49ers opened the game with possession and started with Jimmy Garoppolo under center against a Chiefs defense that was mostly comprised of first-team players. After moving the ball past midfield, the 49ers were driven back by a third-down pass interference penalty on tight end Charlie Woerner, then punted to the Chiefs after an 11-yard pass to running back Trey Sermon fell short of a first down.

The Chiefs took over at their own 20-yard line with a first-team offense led by Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers fielded a defense that consisted mostly of back-ups with the exception of linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Tavon Wilson. The defense held the Chiefs to a three-and-out, which sent the ball back to the 49ers and Trey Lance, who took over for Garoppolo at quarterback after one series.

Lance and the 49ers took possession at their own 14-yard line but were held to a three-and-out by the Chiefs. The opening play of the possession was a dropped pass by wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, then Lance was sacked by defensive lineman Chris Jones on a third down after a two-yard run by Trey Sermon on second down.

The Chiefs then gave control of the offense to backup quarterback Chad Henne, who took over at the 49ers' 39-yard line after a 13-yard punt return by Mike Hughes. A pass interference call on 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga helped the Chiefs move the ball inside the 20, then Henne found wide receiver Byron Pringle four plays later for a 5-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.



The Chiefs put their second-team defense in the game on the next possession, and Lance quickly took advantage. After Richie James gave the 49ers possession at their own 20-yard line on the kickoff, Lance rolled out on the first play of the series and found Trent Sherfield downfield for an 80-yard touchdown with 2:36 remaining in the quarter. Kicker Robbie Gould missed the point after attempt, leaving the 49ers with a one-point deficit at 7-6.


Lance quickly got on the field for his third possession of the game following an interception from rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who set up the 49ers at the Chiefs' 45-yard line. The 49ers went with three straight runs to Trey Sermon to start the possession, which ran the clock down to the end of the first quarter.


Second Quarter

The 49ers moved into the red zone after an 11-yard run by receiver Jauan Jennings but moved backwards when Lance was sacked on second down. The 49ers wound up settling for a 36-yard field goal from Gould to take a 9-7 lead.

The 49ers then held the Chiefs to a punt after eight plays on the next possession but had to start their next drive on their own 1-yard line after a 66-yard punt from Tommy Townsend. Lance dug the 49ers out of that hole in a hurry with a 35-yard completion to Woerner on first down but they were forced to punt after a one-yard run by Wayne Gallman, a dropped pass by wide receiver River Cracraft on second down, and a seven-yard completion to Cracraft on third down.



The Chiefs took over on their own 14-yard line and turned the offense over to quarterback Anthony Gordon, who handed the ball off to former 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon for a 10-yard gain on the first play of the series. Six plays later the Chiefs were forced to punt from their own 42, with Townsend's punt this time bouncing into the end zone for a touchback. The 49ers quickly punted back to the Chiefs after a three-and-out, which came about after a dropped pass by Richie James on third down.

The Chiefs took over at their own 45-yard line but quickly moved in the wrong direction when running back Dawrin Thompson was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after a first down run. The 49ers held the Chiefs to a three-and-out from there and took over at their own 12-yard line with 1:49 in the half after a punt from Townsend.

Lance's first opportunity to run the two-minute offense came up empty, as the 49ers punted back to the Chiefs after five plays. The Chiefs took over at their own 39-yard line and moved to the 49ers' 44-yard line, where kicker Harrison Butker wound up attempting a 62-yard field goal. The attempt failed, giving the 49ers possession at the Chiefs' 48-yard line, but they punted back to Kansas City to end the half after a sack, a short pass to Sermon, and a near-interception on third down.

Lance was on the field for 27 plays in the first half and completed 5-of-12 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. He was also sacked four times in the first half and fumbled once.

Third Quarter


The Chiefs started the second half with possession at their own 16-yard line and put together a 12-play, 50-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock and culminated with a 52-yard field goal from Butker to take a 10-9 lead. The 49ers took over at their own 10-yard line after the kickoff and decided to give more reps to Lance, who began the second half under center but wasn't able to muster much on offense as the Chiefs were able to force a three-and-out.

The 49ers forced a three-and-out of their own on the next possession, then took over at their own 12-yard line with Josh Rosen at quarterback in place of Lance. Rosen led the 49ers on their second-longest drive of the game (10 plays, 69 yards, featuring a 26-yard catch by Jennings and a 21-yard run by JaMychal Hasty) but was picked off by safety Armani Watts at the Chiefs' 2-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The Chiefs started the final quarter with a three-and-out, then the 49ers moved the ball into Chiefs territory only to turn the ball over on a fumble by JaMychal Hasty that was recovered by cornerback Dicaprio Bootle at the Chiefs' 37-yard line. The Chiefs were held to a three-and-out once again, but the 49ers were pushed back to their own 10-yard line after an illegal block penalty was called on rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas during the return.

The Chiefs took over at their own 41-yard line after the 49ers went three-and-out on their possession and quickly moved deep into 49ers territory when a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on safety Kai Nacua was tacked on to a 13-yard run by Buechele. Three plays later the Chiefs extended their lead to 13-9 when Butker connected on a 46-yard field goal.


The 49ers got a spark from their special teams on the ensuing kickoff when Nsimba Webster broke free on a 43-yard return to the 41-yard line. Webster then ran for 34 yards on the first offensive play of the possession, then a 12-yard run from Hasty set the 49ers up with a 1st-and-10 at the Chiefs' 13-yard line. Hasty ran the ball into the end zone two plays later, a play that was originally called down but was overturned after a challenge from head coach Kyle Shanahan. Gould connected on the point after attempt to give the 49ers a 16-13 lead with 2:37 remaining.


The Chiefs began the ensuing drive at their own 32 yard line, then moved downfield in 1:23 for a 9-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Key plays of the drive included a 22-yard pass to running back Elijah McGuire and a 19-yard pass to tight end Jody Fortson.

The 49ers ran six plays in their final possession, which came to an end when they were flagged for an illegal shift with eight seconds remaining.

The 49ers will be back in action on Sunday, August 22 in a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT). The 49ers will then return to Levi's Stadium to close the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 29 (4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT).

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