The 49ers (11-1) travel to Arrowhead Stadium for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3). Rich Gannon is the starter for the injured Elvis Grbac. Greg Hill is the back. Andre Rison and Lake Dawson are the receivers. The Chiefs come off three wins in four.
The 49ers come off the 17-10 home win over the Chargers. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Brent Jones is at tight end.[1][2]
Marty Schottenheimer's Chiefs come to Arrowhead at 8-3 with Rich Gannon at quarterback in relief of the injured Elvis Grbac. Andre Rison is the WR1 in his second Chiefs season. The Chiefs' defensive front, with Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, has produced 39 sacks across the first 11 games. The 49ers' Sunday at Arrowhead is the kind of road game where the offensive line has the matchup that defines the back half. The Chiefs' front rotation is the league's most-productive pass-rush unit.
Week 14 has the schedule's marquee road game plus a slate where the conference's playoff seeding is settling. The Packers sit at 11-2; the Cowboys 7-5; the Vikings 9-4. The AFC East has the Patriots at 10-2 and the Bills 6-6. Conference reading list the storyline is the Chiefs' AFC West title chase. The 49ers' Sunday at Arrowhead is the conference's only NFC-AFC marquee road game on the slate.
Through twelve games the 49ers sit at 11-1 with a plus 143 point differential. Young is on pace for 3,600 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,120 rushing. Bryant Young has 13 sacks. The Chiefs are 8-3 with Gannon averaging 230 passing per game and Hill 3.7 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 1-point road underdogs. Stat worth watching today: 49ers' sacks allowed at Arrowhead, sitting at 8 across two 1996 and 1995 trips.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-4 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-4 | L1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 6-6 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-7-1 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 8-4 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7-5 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 7-5 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-7 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-2 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-3 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-6 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-8 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 11-1 | W11 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-6 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-8 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-8 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-10 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 9-3 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-4 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-4 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-6 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 7-4-1 | T1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-5-1 | T1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-6-1 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-9 | -- |
1997 week 14 San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs
1997 49ers at Chiefs Week 14
NFL on FOX - 1997 Week 14 49ers vs Chiefs - open
NFL on FOX - 1997 Week 14 - Nov. 30, 1997 Pregame Show - Q&A: 49ers vs Chiefs
49ers @ Chiefs 1997
1997 NFL Football: Seahawks (2-2) @ Chiefs (3-1)
Curtis Buckley runs behind entire sideline during play - 49ers @ Chiefs 1997Andre Rison caught two touchdowns and Rich Gannon threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the 49ers 44-9 at Arrowhead Stadium. Steve Young went 17 of 23 for 184 and an interception. Garrison Hearst ran for 85 on 7 carries. The Chiefs' defense produced four sacks and three interceptions. The 49ers were held to three Wade Richey field goals.[1][2]
Andre Rison caught two touchdowns and the Chiefs blew out the 49ers 44-9 at Arrowhead Stadium. The 49ers' worst single-game loss of the calendar year. Steve Young threw for 184 yards with one interception. Garrison Hearst ran for 85 on seven carries before exiting with an ankle. The 49ers' offense produced three Wade Richey field goals across the full sixty minutes.
The Chiefs' defensive front produced four sacks. Derrick Thomas registered two. Neil Smith registered two. The 49ers' offensive line, the unit that had been the structural strength of the season, gave up the kind of road afternoon that, in calendar 1997, the back-half schedule had not produced. The defensive secondary surrendered three Gannon touchdowns and 117 receiving yards to Rison.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 11-2 with the home game against the Vikings on Sunday next. The road record is 6-2. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the offensive line. The film room is going to spend the week on the protection scheme against the Chiefs' front.
Chiefs 44, 49ers 9. Margin: minus 35. Record: 11-2, plus 108 differential.
A 44-9 road blowout at Arrowhead Stadium. The 49ers fall to 11-2 with the worst single-game loss of 1997.
How it unfolded
The Chiefs opened with a Rison 27-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Wade Richey kicked a field goal. Gannon found Rison again for the second touchdown. By halftime the Chiefs led 24-3. The third quarter saw a Gannon touchdown to Ted Popson and a Hill rushing touchdown to push the lead to 38-6. A fourth-quarter Schottenheimer field goal made it 41-9; the Chiefs added a closing field goal to make the final 44-9.
The turning point
The second-quarter Rison second touchdown. With the 49ers down 7-3 and the defensive secondary aligned in a Cover 2 shell, Gannon found Rison on a deep cross over the safety. The 14-3 cushion turned into 24-3 by the half and the 49ers' offense never closed the gap against the Chiefs' second-half script.
By the numbers
Young 17-of-23 for 184 with one interception. Hearst 85 on 7 carries (12.1 ypc) before exiting; the limited workload was the result of the ankle. Owens 6 catches for 68. Defensively the front did not produce a sack across 21 dropbacks of Gannon. The secondary surrendered three touchdowns and 117 receiving to Rison.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 17/23 | 184 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jeff Brohm | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| KAN | |||||
| Rich Gannon | 12/21 | 186 | 3 | 1 | |
| Marcus Allen | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 7 | 85 | 0 | 45 |
| Terry Kirby | 9 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| Steve Young #8 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| William Floyd | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| KAN | ||||
| Greg Hill | 19 | 54 | 0 | 11 |
| Marcus Allen | 13 | 48 | 1 | 9 |
| Donnell Bennett | 7 | 36 | 0 | 13 |
| Rich Gannon | 3 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 6 | 68 | 0 | 22 |
| J.J. Stokes | 4 | 65 | 0 | 33 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 26 |
| William Floyd | 4 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| KAN | ||||
| Andre Rison | 5 | 117 | 2 | 45 |
| Lake Dawson | 2 | 38 | 0 | 27 |
| Tony Gonzalez | 2 | 19 | 1 | 17 |
| Tamarick Vanover | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Greg Hill | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Donnell Bennett | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ted Popson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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