SANTA CLARA — When the 49ers host the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the best advice is to simply enjoy the show rather than search for far-reaching implications.
Because barring catastrophic injury to either quarterback, this year’s Super Bowl rematch probably won’t have much bearing on how either team does in terms of its ultimate goal of winning Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
Winning is everything in the NFL, but oddsmakers see the Chiefs 5-0 record as toothless enough that they’re a 1 1/2-point underdog coming in to Levi’s Stadium against the 49ers, who at 3-3 haven’t lived up to anyone’s expectations. Especially their own.
It’s only Week 7, but the likelihood is this — Kansas City is going to win its 10th consecutive AFC West title and the 49ers will probably win the NFC West despite starting in an 0-2 hole against the Rams and Cardinals in the division.
That’s going to happen no matter what transpires on Sunday. If the Chiefs win again, it furthers the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid storyline of dominance against Kyle Shanahan with a fifth straight victory. If the 49ers win, it elevates Brock Purdy into the Mahomes conversation and serves as a springboard to another late season run ending with third straight NFC Championship Game appearance.
Neither will necessarily be true, but that’s the thing about storylines. They’re rewritten every week and often have no relation to what actually happens over the course of a season.
Players and coaches understand this, especially those who have played deep into the postseason. Fans and media? Not so much.
The Chiefs can survive a regular season loss to the 49ers without a stain on their reputation and still make it to the Super Bowl. The 49ers can lose to Kansas City for the fifth straight time in the Shanahan era and a loss to an AFC opponent could have an impact on overall seeding but shouldn’t prevent them from winning a weak division.
While it would put a lot of minds at ease among the Faithful should the 49ers suddenly spring to life and put a surprise beating on the Chiefs, it does little to salve the wounds of last Feb. 11 in Las Vegas and the 25-22 overtime defeat.
“We could beat them by 100 and we’re not popping champagne and confetti’s not going to fall,” left tackle Trent Williams said Thursday. “So why even carry that grudge?”
In the big picture, the 49ers aren’t juggernauts at 4-3 any more than they’re failures at 3-4.
For inflated significance, look no further than Dec. 3 a year ago. A road game in Philadelphia was hyped as a 49ers crusade after losing 31-7 in the NFC title game with Purdy exiting early with a shredded right elbow.
The Eagles were 10-1, the 49ers 7-3, and 49ers players were saying the same things about vengeance they are this week with Kansas City up next.
Brock Purdy (13) eludes Fletcher Cox (91) in a 42-19 road win by the 49ers over the Philadelphia Eagles last Dec. 3. A.P. …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
