KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the second time this season, the Kansas City Chiefs were coming off a loss.
Also for the second time, Patrick Mahomes and company had to go on the road fresh off a loss to face a recent Super Bowl foe.
Both times, Kansas City put together a dominant performance, hitting its bye week with a 44-23 comeback win Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in a rematch of the Super Bowl LIV comeback win.
Mahomes finished 25 of 34 for 423 yards with three touchdowns, shaking off an interception on the game’s first drive and leading yet another comeback from a double-digit hole.
For the second straight week, the Chiefs faced one of the toughest defenses and best lines in the NFL.
San Francisco allowed only 14.8 points and less than 256 yards per game, but Kansas City wasn't impressed — totaling 529 yards and scoring 30 points in the second half alone.
“To go out against a defense like this and show that we can still be explosive and have those big plays, I think that will bode well for us as the season goes on because people don’t know where it’s going to come from,” Mahomes said. “... I think we’re going to continue to get better and better as the season goes on. We’ll learn from our mistakes and we’ll go out there and improve and be even better when we get to the end of the season.”
The Chiefs’ offensive line rose to the challenge, averaging more than 6 yards per carry and allowing only one sack in helping spoil Christian McCaffrey’s return to the Bay Area.
McCaffrey totaled 62 yards on 10 touches, but Mecole Hardman Jr. stole the show with three touchdowns, including the first two rushing touchdowns of his career.
“We put together a tape of all of his carries and catches, so Spags buzzed through that,” coach Andy Reid said. “We figured they’d use something that would be familiar to him and they did. Now, he had some nice plays. He’s a great player and he’s going to be a great addition. Kyle knows how to use offensive players, and he’ll be excited once he gets into the flow of things.”
San Francisco grabbed a quick 10-0 lead with help from a Chiefs turnover.
The 49ers marched down the field for a 30-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive.
The Chiefs’ opening drive ended with an interception after Mahomes tried to drive a third-down pass to Skyy Moore.
Cornerback Tashaun Gipson Jr. had the coverage and tipped the pass into the air for a diving Talanoa Hufanga to intercept.
It was the second straight game Mahomes was picked off on the first drive. He also was picked off on a throw to Moore on the final play in a Week 6 loss to Buffalo.
Four plays later, Jimmy Garoppolo found Ray-Ray McCloud III for an 8-yard touchdown on the scramble drill and a double-digit lead.
“They didn’t get caught up in being down by 10 points and just kept playing,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
McCloud beat rookie cornerback Joshua Williams, who got his second career start with fellow rookie Trent McDuffie still on injured reserve and Rashad Fenton inactive for a second straight week with a hamstring injury.
But Kansas City had pulled in front by halftime, and Williams was a big reason why.
Mecole Hardman Jr. scored twice — on an 8-yard pop pass from Mahomes and a 25-yard jet sweep for his first career rushing touchdown.
“I think what makes Mecole so good at it — obviously, he’s super fast, but he runs really hard," Mahomes said. "A lot of times, when you get smaller receivers and you get them on those jet sweeps, they want to get outside, get to the sideline and sort of go out of bounds. If you notice with Mecole, that man puts his foot in the ground, gets upfield and then trusts his blockers. You don’t see that out of a lot of guys in this league, and it’s a special talent that he has.”
Robbie Gould added a 50-yard field goal between those Hardman scores, which put the Chiefs in front 14-13.
After a muffed punt by Moore gave the 49ers an extra possession late in the first half, Williams snagged his first career interception at the goal line.
Kansas City marched into field-goal range — and even had a touchdown erased by penalty — but Harrison Butker missed a 39-yard field goal in the closing minutes to keep it a one-point game.
Isaiah Pacheco returned the second-half’s opening kickoff 48 yards with another 15 added for a late hit out of bounds.
Three plays later, Clyde Edwards-Helaire dashed around the right end 16 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 21-13 lead, and the 49ers never again drew closer than five points.
“Energy; energy all day,” said Smith-Schuster, who finished with seven catches for 124 yards — his second consecutive 100-yard game — and a touchdown. “And that starts with Trav (tight end Travis Kelce), and that starts with Pat and that starts with (defensive end) Chris (Jones). Those are the guys that get this team going. In the second half, you could feel that. You could feel the passion that you’re playing for one another.”
San Francisco answered with a 49-yard field goal on its opening drive of the second half.
Aided by a 34-yard catch and run by Jerick McKinnon on a third-down screen, Mahomes’ 4-yard touchdown to Justin Watson provided Kansas City with its first double-digit lead.
A 15-yard touchdown to George Kittle early in the fourth quarter provided momentary drama before — and stop us if you’ve heard this before — the Chiefs rattled off three straight unanswered scores in the fourth quarter.
Hardman scored on a 3-yard run, Frank Clark clobbered Garoppolo for a safety and JuJu Smith-Schuster rumbled 45 yards for the back-breaking touchdown.
“Tough team, the 49ers, but we got the ‘dub,’” said Clark, who finished with 1 1/2 sacks, on social media.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had three catches for 111 yards, provided the final block 40 yards downfield on Smith-Schuster's TD.
Hardman, who finished four catches for 32 yards and two carries for 28 yards, became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in the same game — in Deebo Samuels’ home stadium.
“That’s an NFL record?” Hardman asked rhetorically. “Ooh, I like that right there. That’s really good, man.”
Jones finished with two sacks and a forced fumble, which Malik Herring recovered in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. added eight tackles and a half-sack in his return from a four-game suspension.
“I’ve got a heckuva supporting cast with me,” Jones said.
Safety Juan Thornhill had a game-high 11 tackles and closed the game with an interception in the end zone, while Khalen Saunders and L’Jarius Sneed each added a half-sack.
