Maiocco Observations: Purdy struggles in 49ers’ loss to Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The Kansas City Chiefs’ possession of the 49ers continued Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Andy Reid’s team, the only undefeated team in the NFL, beat the 49ers in a Super Bowl LVIII rematch that felt more like a mismatch.
It was a tough day for the 49ers offense, who played most of the game without their top three receivers in a 28-18 loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
The 49ers particularly struggled on third downs, as Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had all the answers. The 49ers converted just 2 of their 11 third-down attempts.
The loss drops the 49ers to 3-4 in the 2024 NFL season and one game behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West standings.
Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 7 loss:
Shorthanded at wide receiver
The 49ers welcomed rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to action on Sunday. And they did not have the luxury of facilitating him in action.
San Francisco played the second half without its top three receivers, and the biggest concern was Brandon Aiyuk. He was sent off the field at halftime after suffer a knee injury at the end of the second trimester.
The 49ers ruled out Aiyuk returning to action early in the third quarter, which is usually a worrying sign when a quick decision is made regarding a knee injury.
The 49ers were already without two of their three best receivers.
Deebo Samuel suffered an unspecified illness and was unavailable for most of the game. He was ruled out midway through the third quarter. And Jauan Jennings was inactive during the game due to a hip injury he suffered in the 49ers’ Week 6 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
As a result, the 49ers were forced to turn to Pearsall, Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell to play receiver for most of the game against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Pearsall played most of the match out of necessity. He caught three passes for 21 yards.
Now, the 49ers may need Pearsall more than ever, with Aiyuk’s long-term status unclear. With Samuel expected to be back next week, Jennings’ availability for the Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys is in question.
Day off for Mahomes, Purdy
Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, by any measure, are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
That certainly wasn’t the case for most of Sunday’s game.
Mahomes struggled against the 49ers defense, and the Chiefs made it difficult for Purdy as well.
But Mahomes used his legs to contribute to his team’s sixth straight season-opening victory. Mahomes had a 33-yard run during which he made linebacker Fred Warner and Dee Winters miss. Then he scored from 1 yard out for the touchdown to give Kansas City a 21-12 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Purdy and the 49ers’ decimated offense had a tough game.
In the third quarter, as the 49ers looked for potential starting points, Purdy’s pass to Ronnie Bell was intercepted by Chris Roland-Wallace. It was not immediately clear if Purdy was off target or if Bell took the wrong route.
On the 49ers’ next possession, Purdy was hit by Kansas City defensive end George Karlaftis while throwing and safety Jaden Hicks made the pick in the end zone.
For the game, Purdy completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for 212 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions and a passer rating of 36.7. Purdy had two 1-yard touchdowns.
Mahomes didn’t exactly light it up either, as he took his career record against the 49ers to 5-0.
He completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 154 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions and a passer rating of 44.4.
The 49ers are getting younger on defense
On the game’s biggest downs, the 49ers played with at least four players with less than two years of NFL experience.
The 49ers made two significant changes to their nickel defense. Rookie cornerback Renardo Green supplanted veteran Isaac Yiadom on passes, and Winters, a second-year player, replaced De’Vondre Campbell at linebacker on every down.
Rookie safety Malik Mustapha had a big day for the 49ers. He made his third start as a rookie in place of the injured Talanoa Hufanga. He led the 49ers in tackles with 12.
The 49ers defense played well for most of the game, as Kansas City did not have a prolific offensive performance.
The 49ers have been gradually integrating younger players, and Sunday was their biggest step toward more speed on the defensive side of the ball.
