From bye to battle: Kansas City Chiefs prepare for clash with San Francisco 49ers
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs are emerging from their bye week with eyes firmly set on their NFC rival, the San Francisco 49ers. Since 2010, the Chiefs have notched five wins, including two Super Bowl victories, against the 49ers, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of San Francisco fans.
The Chiefs are navigating uncharted waters this season, with a schedule that has them playing on every day of the week except Tuesday, the first team to achieve this feat since 1927.
Compounding the challenge, they were handed an early bye week, which isn’t as much of an advantage as it sounds; now they face a grueling stretch of 12 consecutive weeks of competition.
“You got to take it one game at a time, one day at a time,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I haven’t been in this situation before just because I’ve always had a later bye week, but I always try to stay on top of my body, but you have to continue to just grind away every single day and get better… and I think that’s something the coach does a great job of how he schedules practices.”
Kansas City sits at 29th in red zone offense this season, a glaring issue for a unit renowned for its innovative schemes to get players across the goal line. Although the 49ers rank in the middle of the pack for red zone defense, moving the ball in tight spaces will still be a formidable challenge.
As a result, enhancing their red zone effectiveness became a key focus during the bye week for the Chiefs.
“Just trust throwing in some of those tighter windows and make those plays and know that that window might be the only opportunity to score a touchdown,” Mahomes said. “Then we have to be able to run the ball down there and, and know that we get different coverages than a lot of other teams.”
Emerging from the bye, the Chiefs AFC rivals made headlines by acquiring wide receivers to bolster their quarterbacks. Head coach Andy Reid highlighted the effectiveness of adding a familiar face but emphasized that the team remains open to bringing in new talent that can make an impact.
Despite the shifting landscape, Mahomes feels confident in his current receiving core and their ability to rise to the occasion.
“I mean I have extreme confidence with the guys that are on the football field. I mean they’ve won games, they’ve won Super Bowls,” Mahomes said. “They’ve made plays in big moments and Brett Veach does a great job of bringing players in that can step up whenever their number is called.”
One receiver Mahomes can trust is veteran Juju Smith-Schuster, who captured a ring alongside the quarterback two years ago. Now, as the seasoned player in the room, Smith-Schuster is embracing his role and plans to leverage his experience to guide the team and elevate their performance.
“The young guys like Xavier (Worthy) always make fun of me,” Smith-Schuster said. “Like man, unc (uncle), I don’t know if you still got it, like when’s the barbecue unc, I think it’s funny, but at the same time, it’s pretty cool that, you know, I can be a leader in that room.”
