The last time 15.9 million of us saw the Chiefs, they were padding their unblemished record on a Monday night entering a bye week. And during that time off, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and “Tay” all took in a little postseason baseball and Steve Spagnuolo was breaking down San Francisco film. Don’t be surprised if the coordinator used the additional time to incorporate a spy to corral 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Entering their Super Bowl rematch on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), Purdy and Mahomes have moved chains and crushed defensive spirits with their legs. Purdy began to show off his athleticism – backed up by video evidence – at the start of the 2023 playoffs. Per Doug Clawson, Purdy is tied with Mahomes for the most first downs on scrambles (14) in the NFL since the beginning of last postseason. Clawson also notes that Purdy has 11 scramble first downs this season, third in the league. Over the entire 2023 season, the San Francisco quarterback had only seven.
Spagnuolo is probably way ahead. While Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel are the hot names for eventual head-coach openings, Spagnuolo would certainly consider interviewing for a great situation like he has in Kansas City, as he told Dan Le Batard. He’s been Andy Reid’s defensive coordinator since 2019, a five-year stretch in which the Chiefs have gone to four Super Bowls and won three.
Offensive-minded head coaches usually jump out to early leads in games after their bye weeks. If Kansas City does that Sunday, the Chiefs trust Spagnuolo and his defense to shut down San Francisco. Shutting down 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, however, is a chief concern for the Chiefs.
“Listen, we’ve got young guys playing the left tackle. That’s not a secret,” said Reid, who’s 21-4 (.840) after bye weeks, the highest such mark by a coach with a minimum of 10 games in league history. “So, it’s important that we continue to progress there and get better. We know there are going to be some hiccups and we’ve just got to keep getting better and better. That’s the important thing.”
Whoever plays left tackle for the Chiefs, whether second-year man Wanya Morris or rookie Kingsley Suamataia, might not matter. In a similar situation for a San Francisco opponent, during the 49ers’ Week 3 win over New England, Bosa lined up against both the left tackle and right tackle. No question, how the Chiefs block and scheme against Bosa will be key to beating San Francisco (3-3) on Sunday.
Kansas City (5-0) aims to match its best start in franchise history. The team was 6-0 in both 2003 and 2013. Reid’s teams have been 6-0 on only two occasions, that 2013 campaign in his second year at the reins of the Chiefs, and 2004, when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
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