Scouting the enemy: San Francisco 49ers visit Arrowhead for Chiefs home opener
By Kody Latham
Kansas City and San Francisco have not played one another in four years. What changes have the 49ers made since their last matchup?
Who would have guessed going into Week 3 of the season the Kansas City Chiefs would be 2-0? Most of the national media had the Chiefs at least splitting the first two games this season, if not losing both outright. While Kansas City has owned the Los Angeles Chargers since Andy Reid arrived, the struggles they have had against the Pittsburgh Steelers have played a large part in keeping the Chiefs from going deeper into the playoffs. Well, Kansas City’s lord and savior Patrick Mahomes delivered a convincing win against a team that has won four out of the past five matchups. He did it in style as well, throwing for six touchdowns and setting a record for the most touchdowns thrown in the first two games of the season.
Kansas City has put themselves into a great spot heading into their home opener at Arrowhead this weekend where they will face their first opponents from the NFC the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs have a long history with the 49ers, having traded for both Joe Montana and Alex Smith. In this matchup, the Chiefs will not be relying on one of the 49ers cast-offs.
It has been four years since these two teams faced one another. In their last game, the Chiefs leading receiver was Junior Hemmingway. Travis Kelce was still proving to everyone he was one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and Frank Gore was still toting the rock for the 49ers. There have been considerable changes to both teams over the years. The 49ers no longer have Colin Kaepernick, Brandon Lyold, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vance McDonald, Anquan Boldin, Patrick Willis, Carlos Hyde, Antone Bethea, or Eric Reid. All of these players were either high draft picks for the team or household names at some point. So, what do the 49ers look like four years later?