49ers vs. Chiefs: 5 key storylines for San Francisco’s preseason bout
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers visit the Kansas City Chiefs for Week 3 of the 2019 NFL preseason, which marks a regular-season dress rehearsal. Let’s look at some key storylines for the red and gold.
Week 3 of the NFL preseason typically marks a dress rehearsal for the regular season, and both the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will hold theirs on Saturday, Aug. 24 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Niners are a perfect 2-0 during this exhibition phase, knocking off the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos the previous two weeks, although preseason wins and losses mean next to nothing.
Yet the games have revealed a number of critical questions and concerns, along with bringing up some valid points for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. heading towards the regular season.
Shanahan will likely end up playing the majority of his starters and first-team units for a full half against Kansas City before giving way to the backups and reserves. This aspect of the game should reveal two notable things: How are the 49ers’ primary players looking against comparable competition, and who among the backups are continuing to increase their stock value with post-preseason roster cuts looming?
Those are both valid questions, and Niner Noise dives into some of the key storylines fans should watch this Saturday.
No. 5: 49ers Secondary versus Patrick Mahomes
It’s one thing the Niners defensive backfield had to content with Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco last Monday. But with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a vibrant Kansas City offense, it’s an entirely different story.
Granted, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid won’t come close to opening up the full playbook Saturday. But when one considers the multitude of records Mahomes set in 2018, leading K.C. to the No. 1 offensive spot in both points scored (565) and yards gained (6,810), it’s hard to ignore the likelihood he’ll have some serious chances against San Francisco.
But this is a great test for a revamped Niners secondary. While the 49ers spent the offseason reinforcing the pass rush, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch largely put faith in their existing crop of defensive backs.
Considering this same secondary finished dead last in the league in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus, that might not be a good thing.
What is a good thing, however, is San Francisco can get a pretty good evaluation of its defensive backfield against top-tier offensive competition.
Amid a context where the results don’t actually count.