Before the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy faced the Chiefs in a Super Bowl, he met them in garbage time. On Oct. 23, 2022, the quarterback got his first real game action as a rookie in the final minutes of a 44-23 loss to the Chiefs. Before he threw an interception to end his only drive in the game, he was overwhelmed by the pace and the players he was facing. “The game was fast for me – my feet were moving really fast,” Purdy said. “I just remember seeing (former Pro Bowl linebacker) Frank Clark and some of the guys, I’m like, ‘Man, these guys are still in the game? I’m in at the end of the game and they’re still in?’ Just my mind was going pretty fast.”
Purdy, 24, has come a long way. His rapid ascension to NFL stardom made him the third-youngest QB to start a Super Bowl in February, and he has shown no signs of slipping since the 49ers’ 25-22 overtime loss to Kansas City. Entering Sunday’s showdown with the Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium, Purdy is playing better than his legendary counterpart, Patrick Mahomes, 29, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP.
Purdy’s performance has impressed a four-time Super Bowl champion defensive coordinator. Kansas City’s Steve Spagnuolo went heavy on man-to-man coverage in Super Bowl LVIII because he underestimated Purdy’s ability to pick apart the Chiefs’ zone looks. Spagnuolo reviewed that game this past week, along with Purdy’s first six starts in 2024.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that Ricky Pearsall probably… “I can’t find a weakness in this quarterback,” Spagnuolo said. “Every time I put the film on, I’m more and more impressed.” Of course, it’s easy to find the 49ers’ weakness: the Chiefs.
Since 2018, they are 0-4 against Kansas City, losing two Super Bowls after squandering double-digit leads and enduring two other defeats that counted as regular-season nadirs. In 2018, QB Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL in a 38-27 loss at Kansas City in Week 3, setting the stage for a 4-12 season. In 2022, the 49ers dipped to 3-4 after their 21-point pounding by the Chiefs before they responded by winning their final 10 regular-season games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to the players about staying in the moment and not assigning added meaning to a Week 7 game because of their painful past with Kansas City. The 49ers have delivered variations of that message to the media. Tight end George Kittle said he can’t perform at his best if he allows those games to linger. Center Jake Brendel maintained he approaches every opponent the same way. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir referenced it as “another game.” And left tackle Trent Williams dismissed the idea of revenge.
49ers vs. Chiefs Kickoff: 1:25 p.m. Fox (104.5, 680, 107.7) Spotlight on Ricky Pearsall: After the 49ers saw their wide receivers struggle to free themselves from Kansas City’s man-to-man coverage in Super Bowl LVIII in February, they drafted Pearsall, whose short-area quickness and ability to separate from defensive backs are strengths. It’s asking a lot for Pearsall to make an immediate impact in his NFL debut, 50 days after he was shot in the chest, a horrific incident preceded by hamstring and shoulder injuries that wiped out most of his training camp. However, Pearsall inspired rave practice reviews from teammates this week and head coach Kyle Shanahan has suggested he could have a decent workload. Injury notes: 49ers – WR Jauan Jennings (hip) is out; DT Kevin Givens (groin) and CB Darrell Luter (pelvis) are questionable. Chiefs – DE Michael Danna (pectoral) is out; WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) is questionable. Three things to watch – RB Jordan Mason, ranked second in the NFL with 609 rushing yards, will face the NFL’s fifth-ranked run defense (88.4 yards per game). K.C. is allowing 3.7 yards per carry, the fourth-lowest figure in the NFL.
– Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has an 83.6 passer rating in the first three quarters this season. He has a 122.3 rating in the fourth quarter. – The 49ers rank 25th in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage (44.4%). The Chiefs rank 29th (38.9%). “We can beat them by 100 and we’re not popping Champagne and confetti’s not going to fall,” Williams said. “It can never be … a payback situation. So why even carry that grudge?”
Still, a victory over the Chiefs (5-0) would do more than improve the 49ers’ record to 4-3. It would restore some swagger. The 49ers’ 3-3 start to their season has already enhanced their reputation for blowing big leads in big moments. After losing three postseason games from 2019-23 by surrendering double-digit leads, they lost a 14-point second-half lead in a Week 3 loss to the Rams and a 13-point second-half lead in a Week 5 loss to the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the dynastic Chiefs have overcome 10-point deficits in all three of their Super Bowl wins since February 2020, and retain their rep for clutch performances. They are 4-0 in one-score games this season, and Mahomes, off to a sluggish start and ranked 19th in the NFL with a passer rating of 88.9, has a 122.3 rating in the fourth quarter. That helps explain why, after Lenoir termed Sunday just “another game,” he began laughing when he was pressed on his answer: It’s really not a big deal to be playing the Chiefs? “I know what’s at stake in this game,” Lenoir said. “I know what it can do to this team and this locker room if we come out” with a win.
The 49ers won’t arrive with an edge in intangibles, but it could be argued that they have the edge at quarterback – at least at the moment. Purdy ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (1,629) and yards per attempt (8.8) and is 10th in passer rating (100.5) while flashing more Mahomes-esque improvisational skills in his second full season as a starter. Mahomes has thrown six touchdown passes and six interceptions and owns a rating that would be a career low, numbers that partly reflect the loss of two top receivers, Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, to injuries. Purdy has clearly come a long way since debuting against the Chiefs two years ago, completing 4 of 9 passes for 66 yards and throwing his first pick. And he could take another step by leading the 49ers to a victory Sunday. “He looked pretty good then,” Spagnuolo said of Purdy’s 2022 debut. “Not like he is now. I’m really impressed with the quarterback.”
