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Kansas City Chiefs
I wanted to publish this before the shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City on Valentine's Day. But who could have foreseen that tragedy? It seems trivial talking about some of the history between these two teams after that. Yet, this was written, and they just met, so it seemed to me worth publishing now, while it is still timely, without any disrespect towards the victims of that shooting the other day.
In any case, it just seemed interesting that the Chiefs are one of those rare teams that seem to have gotten the better - far better, at least for the moment - of the rivalry between them and the 49ers. No other team that I can think of has gotten quite as much of a consistent advantage in their rivalries. The Giants, Cowboys, and Packers all earned multiple wins in the postseason and regular season over the 49ers, yet they all suffered some major losses to the Niners that served to humble them, as well. In fact, neither the Cowboys or Packers have managed to win a single postseason game against San Francisco in over two decades, in a combined seven meetings (five losses for Green Bay, two for Dallas).
Yet to date, Kansas City somehow has managed to largely avoid losses in the biggest and most memorable meetings between the two teams. It struck me after they defeated the 49ers last Sunday in that second Super Bowl meeting that KC seems to have had an unusual amount of success against the 49ers, more than anyone else that comes to mind. The Ravens also beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl years ago, and they won a big regular season meeting late last year, but that's only two wins. The Chiefs have gotten some huge wins over San Francisco dating back to the days of Joe Montana in the nineties.
Here's some of that history:
1994 - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 24-17
This one was best known as the duel between former 49ers legendary quarterback Joe Montana - who was not with the Kansas City Chiefs - versus Steve Young, who had replaced Montana as the starting quarterback of the 49ers. Kansas City played this one from the comforts of home at Arrowhead Stadium, which probably helped. If memory serves correctly, Young was so nervous during this game that he threw up on the sidelines. Kansas City won this one, although the 49ers ended up winning the Super Bowl at the end of this season.
1997 - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 44-9
San Francisco had lost their opening game at Tampa Bay, and then had pulled off 11 straight wins, which was one of the longest winning streaks in franchise history at the time. So the 49ers had the league's best overall record at 11-1 when they went to Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs, meanwhile, entered this game at 9-3, and were trying to catch the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Kansas City ended San Francisco's massive winning streak, and they did win up winning the AFC West, although the Broncos obviously got the bigger prize of a Super Bowl win later in the season.
2006 - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 41-0
Probably more than any other team in NFL history during such a long period of time, the 49ers seem to avoid getting shut out better than anyone else. But in this one, which again was played at Arrowhead Stadium, KC just walloped the 49ers, shutting them out while scoring a ton of points themselves. That's what makes this particular meeting especially memorable.
February, 2020: Super Bowl LIV - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 31-20
Obviously, the biggest match between the two teams up to this point. Played on a neutral field. The 49ers seemed to be dominating the game with their defense, and a conservative approach on offense. And then, Patrick Mahomes and that Chiefs offense just roared to life with less than seven minutes left. They had gotten relatively close to scoring earlier without breaking through, but Mahomes finally found Kelce in the end zone for a touchdown with just 6:13 remaining to make it a tight game. Minutes later, KC was in scoring position again, with Damien Williams catching a 5-yard touchdown pass by Mahomes, giving them their first lead of the game. The 49ers almost scored a touchdown as an answer, but Jimmy G slightly overthrew it. Then the Chiefs iced it when they touched the ball next when Damien Williams just broke free and ran it 38 yards for the backbreaker that ended all hopes for San Francisco.
2022 - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 44-23
A rematch of Super Bowl LIV, or a preview of Super Bowl LVIII more than a year before the fact, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, this was a hotly anticipated game between two legitimate title contenders. But it was the Chiefs who got the better of this one, as well. They just seemed to play far better in this surprisingly lopsided outcome.
February, 2024 - Super Bowl LVIII - Chiefs defeat 49ers, 25-22 in OT
The game this past Super Bowl Sunday saw the 49ers seemingly dominate the first half and early third quarter, before Kansas City finally came alive. The Chiefs did not have the kind of explosive, unstoppable stretch that they had right at the end of the first Super Bowl meeting between the two teams. Yet, they did just enough, both on offense and defense, to ultimately get the better of the 49ers, and earn their third Super Bowl title in five years, establishing themselves as a dynasty.
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