The 49ers (2-8) host the Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff, the first home game since the Week 9 loss to the Rams. Elvis Grbac is in his fourth season as Kansas City's starter under second-year head coach Gunther Cunningham. Donnell Bennett shares the backfield with Tony Richardson. Derrick Alexander and Sylvester Morris are the perimeter receivers; Tony Gonzalez, the All-Pro tight end, is the team's leading receiver.[1][2]
Two losses ago the 49ers were 2-5 with the bye on the horizon. Two losses later the 49ers are 2-8 with a fourth-quarter benching of the starting quarterback in the rearview. Sunday at 3Com is the first home game of November and the first opponent from the AFC West since the Battle of the Bay. Elvis Grbac is the kind of opposing quarterback the 49ers have historically had a system answer for.
Week 11 has the AFC West's Chiefs visiting 3Com plus a slate where the conference standings are clarifying. The Titans sit at 8-2; the Dolphins 8-2; the Raiders 7-3. Around the NFC the Vikings remain at 9-1; the Bucs at 6-4 hold second. Inside the NFC West the Rams are 7-3, the Saints 6-3, the Panthers 5-5, the 49ers 2-8. The 49ers' Sunday is the only NFC West home game this week and the only AFC opponent on the slate from the conference's two-loss tier.
Through ten games the 49ers sit at 2-8 with a minus 70 point differential. Garcia has thrown for over 200 yards in every start; his pace is 4,260 passing yards. Owens averages 8 catches per game across the season's first ten. Garner averages 92 from scrimmage. Kansas City is 5-5 with Grbac averaging 240 passing yards per game and Gonzalez catching 8 a week. Bennett averages 3.6 a carry. Vegas opens the Chiefs as 1-point road favorites.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 8-1 | W8 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-4 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-4 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-6 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-7 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-8 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 7-2 | W2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-3 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6-3 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-4 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 2-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 8-1 | W6 |
| Denver Broncos | 5-4 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-4 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-9 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 7-2 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-3 | W5 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-5 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-7 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-8 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-2 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-4 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-4 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-5 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 7-2 | W4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-4 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-4 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-6 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-6 | L2 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Charlie Garner 1 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Jeff Garcia 2 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 0-14 |
| 49ers | Jeff Garcia 1 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 0-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | Donnell Bennett 1 yard rush ( Todd Peterson kick) | 7-21 |
Jeff Garcia ran for two touchdowns and threw for 244 yards, the 49ers' defense produced four sacks of Elvis Grbac and Lawrence Phillips ran for the lone offensive touchdown as San Francisco beat Kansas City 21-7 at 3Com Park for the first win since Week 5. Garner ran 25 times for 102 and the team's first 100-yard rushing day in seven games. Owens caught 5 for 58. The 49ers led 21-0 at halftime and held the Chiefs to seven fourth-quarter points and 197 total yards.[1][2]
The 49ers' defense produced four sacks of Elvis Grbac and held the Chiefs to one hundred and ninety-seven yards of total offense. Charlie Garner ran for one hundred and two on twenty-five carries. Jeff Garcia ran in two touchdowns and threw for two hundred and forty-four. The 21-7 win was the cleanest sixty minutes of football the 49ers have played since the road game in Dallas in Week 4.
The defense is the headline. The front rotation that generated 11 sacks across the first ten games produced four in the first 30 minutes Sunday. Bryant Young registered a tackle for loss on every Kansas City drive in the first half. The linebackers, beat-up across the front half, played their best afternoon at the line of scrimmage since 1999. The secondary surrendered no explosive plays.
49ers 21, Chiefs 7. Margin: plus 14. Record: 3-8, minus 56 differential. • Garner: 25 carries for 102, 1 TD (first 100-yard game since Week 6). • Garcia: 20-of-25 for 244, 0 TDs (passing); 8 rushes for 37, 2 rushing TDs. • Owens: 5 catches for 58. • Stokes: 3 catches for 66. • Defense: 4 sacks of Grbac, 197 total yards allowed. • Grbac: 22-of-40 for 276, 0 TDs. • Gonzalez: 5 catches for 41 (held below 50 for first time since Week 6).
A 21-7 home win over the Chiefs. The 49ers snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 3-8.
How it unfolded
The first quarter ended scoreless after a Garcia interception inside the Chiefs' red zone. The second quarter belonged to the 49ers: a Garcia 12-yard touchdown run to open the scoring, a Phillips 4-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, and a Garcia 2-yard touchdown rush to close the half 21-0. The 49ers' defense pitched a shutout through three quarters. Kansas City scored its only points on a fourth-quarter Tony Richardson 1-yard touchdown rush. The 49ers kneeled out the closing two minutes.
The turning point
The four-sack first half. With the Chiefs' offense having produced more than 350 yards in three of the previous four games, the 49ers' defensive front generated four sacks of Grbac in the first 30 minutes. The 21-0 halftime cushion came as much from the front rotation's pressure as from anything the offense produced.
By the numbers
Garner 25 carries for 102 (4.1 ypc) with a touchdown; the season's first 100-yard rushing day in seven games. Garcia 20-of-25 for 244, no touchdown passes but two rushing touchdowns on 8 carries for 37. Owens 5 catches for 58; the lowest receiving line of the year for the WR1. Stokes 3 for 66, his quietest 60-yard afternoon. Defensively the 4 sacks of Grbac were the team's most in a single game this calendar year; Gonzalez was held to 5 catches for 41.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Jeff Garcia | 20/25 | 244 | 0 | 0 | |
| KAN | |||||
| Elvis Grbac | 22/40 | 276 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 25 | 102 | 1 | 19 |
| Jeff Garcia | 8 | 37 | 2 | 12 |
| Paul Smith | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| Terry Jackson | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tai Streets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| KAN | ||||
| Kimble Anders | 3 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| Tony Richardson | 4 | 19 | 0 | 11 |
| Donnell Bennett | 6 | 16 | 1 | 6 |
| Elvis Grbac | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Parker | 1 | -7 | 0 | -7 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 3 | 66 | 0 | 30 |
| Paul Smith | 2 | 55 | 0 | 47 |
| Greg Clark | 4 | 41 | 0 | 13 |
| Charlie Garner | 5 | 39 | 0 | 14 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 12 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Tai Streets | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| KAN | ||||
| Tony Richardson | 8 | 81 | 0 | 18 |
| Sylvester Morris | 3 | 49 | 0 | 27 |
| Derrick Alexander | 2 | 48 | 0 | 40 |
| Tony Gonzalez | 4 | 46 | 0 | 13 |
| Kimble Anders | 3 | 26 | 0 | 12 |
| Kevin Lockett | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Troy Drayton | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2000 W11 - 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs - Game Thread
