This Sunday features a rematch of last season's Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. It will be a key opportunity for both teams in a rare spot where a non-conference game holds high stakes. The Chiefs are sitting in a more comfortable spot in their conference, being 5-0 and coming off the bye week. But, the 49ers suddenly find themselves in a more tough NFC than what they have contended with in the last few years. At 3-3, San Francisco is looking to keep pace with some other teams near the top of some NFC divisions.
Sunday presents so many intriguing personnel matchups. Each team has some units that are near the top of the league. But at the same time, there are some areas where each team is not quite living up to their general standards. Injuries have also taken a toll on parts of both Kansas City and San Francisco already. Therefore, role players have been trusted to step up on each of the Chiefs and 49ers.
Who are the major players worth highlighting entering Sunday afternoon? Here are three key matchups for Chiefs vs. 49ers.
49ers Offensive Line Vs. Chiefs Defensive Line
For the last couple of years, the 49ers have had a unique situation on the offensive line. Trent Williams is one of the best blockers in the entire league, even at his age. Throughout the rest of the blocking unit, though, it is a very average group at best. That much was clear in the latter moments of last year's Super Bowl. If anything, rookie Dominick Puni has found his footing at guard and has played largely clean.
That progress will be tested immensely on Sunday by Chris Jones. Jones has been the best defender on the Chiefs roster for a good bit now. However, he has somehow been even more disruptive, as far as efficiency stats go. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones already has 28 pressures this season, good enough for nearly six pressures averaged per game. His ability to wreck games is showing up from the first snap.
Elsewhere, Tershawn Wharton has been disruptive even more than usual as well. Pro Football Focus lists him with 15 pressures already this season. You can also see a new sense of confidence that he is playing with this year. If Kansas City can continue to get home as often as they have, the 49ers will have to adjust the dropbacks of Brock Purdy. Getting the ball out quickly will be an emphasis. His numbers against the blitz are certainly a major weakness for him so far.
Chiefs Wide Receivers Vs. 49ers Cornerbacks
Patrick Mahomes looked as comfortable as he had all season the last time we saw him. There were clearly more moments where he was in sync with his pass catchers. In addition, the timing was not as delayed, when it came to getting the ball out. Can Mahomes have the same kind of success this week in San Francisco?
A lot of that may be determined by how the Chiefs wide receivers show up against the 49ers cornerbacks. San Francisco has been mediocre as a pass defense for much of the year. Entering Sunday, the 49ers are 17th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Their cornerbacks have seemingly been making less plays on the football. Couple that with allowing explosive plays down the field, and San Francisco is not getting off the field as easily this year so far.
The Chiefs wide receivers impressed with their ability to separate last game. Some of that may be due specifically to Andy Reid and his play designs. Yet, it was the most amount of clean windows that Mahomes got to throw into all year. Kansas City's wideouts could be met with more physicality than what they saw last outing. But if they can continue to extend the throwing windows just enough, more progress can be made for the passing attack.
49ers Wide Receivers Vs. Chiefs Cornerbacks
From one group of cornerbacks that have disappointed, to a cornerback group that has looked incredible, the duo of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson have been excellent so far. Watson's plays on the football have been very impressive. And McDuffie already has a terrific performance against the 49ers under his belt, to boot. Losing L'Jarius Sneed was no easy task. But so far this year, the Chiefs are showing that they can swing momentum in their favor without him.
The performance of the 49ers wide receivers will certainly be crucial. Without Christian McCaffrey and the status of Jordan Mason being up in the air, San Francisco is going to rely heavily on their pass catchers. Brandon Aiyuk has still had some solid moments. But, missing training camp time has certainly affected him in certain key spots. Deebo Samuel is still making highlight reel plays. However, his usage has been slightly different and has affected his overall production at times. Jauan Jennings is proving to be a go-to target for Purdy. Will the 49ers be able to get a sound game from all three against a stiff group of cornerbacks?