The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2018, which coincides with quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first season as a starter. That was also the year that Chiefs’ sideline leader Andy Reid and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan met as head coaches.
This Sunday, these two-time Super Bowl rivals and reigning conference champions will clash for the fifth time in seven seasons. To date, it’s been a pretty interesting but one-sided series, at least to date. Four different venues, but the same results each time. Will it be different this week? The Chiefs are undefeated and didn't play last week, while the Niners are 2-0 vs. AFC teams this season.
Chiefs 38, 49ers 27 (2018)
It was the first clash between Mahomes and 49ers’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Kansas City jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and owned a 35-10 advantage at intermission via the combination of two Kareem Hunt TD runs and three Mahomes’ scoring passes. Reid’s team rolled up 295 yards in the first half, and finished the day with 406 total yards in the 11-point win.
Unfortunately for Shanahan, Garoppolo went down late in the game with what proved to be a season-ending knee injury. The Niners would finish 4-12 that season, while the Chiefs earned the number-one seed in the AFC. The Chiefs would fall in overtime, 37-31, in the AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs 31, 49ers 20 (Super Bowl LIV)
Garoppolo returned in 2019 and the 49ers got off to an 8-0 start on the way to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the AFC. They would battle the Chiefs and Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. Shanahan’s club scored first, but would fall behind 10-3 in the second quarter. The Niners’ defense had its way with Mahomes for most of the game, and San Francisco owned a 20-10 lead midway through the final quarter.
Mahomes would finish the game with 286 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions while being sacked four times and fumbling twice (losing none). Down by 10 points with 8:53 on the clock, the Chiefs scored the final 21 points of the game on touchdown drives of 83, 65, and 42 yards, respectively.
Chiefs 44, 49ers 23 (2022)
It was a Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium, and by season’s end these clubs would nearly meet in Super Bowl LVII. It turned out to be a franchise-changing season for the 49ers and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the Niners to an early 10-0 lead over the visiting Chiefs. He finished the game with 303 yards through the air, but it wasn’t meant to be as Reid’s team came storming back in a very big way.
The Chiefs would outscore the Niners, 44-13, the rest of the way. Kansas City finished with 529 total yards, with Mahomes throwing for 423 yards and three TDs (1 interception). Garoppolo, he would make five more starts for the Niners, going down in Week 12 vs. Dolphins. He never played for the team again.
Chiefs 25, 49ers 22 (OT) (Super Bowl LVIII)
Stop if you’ve heard this before. Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers owned a 10-point lead over Andy Reid’s Chiefs. This time the venue was Allegiant Stadium at Las Vegas and the starting quarterback for San Francisco was Brock Purdy. This was not the most well-played of games, with both Kansas City and San Francisco turning over the ball twice and both clubs settling for more field goals than touchdowns. However, it was exciting.
The Niners scored the first 10 points of the game. Mahomes started slow, but finished with 333 through the air and two TDs (1 interception). As in Super Bowl LVII, he did lots of damage with his legs, running for a team-high 66 yards. His three-yard TD flip to Mecole Hardman in overtime was the game-winning score.