SANTA CLARA — To be the man, you have to beat the man.
But the San Francisco 49ers have not beaten Patrick Mahomes.
And in the third quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers, as the Kansas City quarterback scampered down the sideline with his trademark, toddler-like knock-kneed gait, with not one, not two, but four 49ers defenders missing their clear-cut opportunities to bring him down as he gained 33 yards and set up Kansas City’s third touchdown of the game — the game-winner, it would turn out — it was fair for the Niners, their fans, and the world wonder:
Will they ever?
Advertisement
For the 49ers, it’s a question so fundamental, so consequential, that the answer can tear a team apart.
And right now, seven years of evidence points towards “No.”
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this. We got our ass kicked today,” Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said following his team’s 28-18 home loss.
The Niners can’t stop Mahomes in the Super Bowl, having lost both matchups with the Chiefs in 2019 and last season. They can’t stop him in the regular season, either, having lost their previous three games, with the last two coming in blowouts at home.
He is their bogeyman, their final boss, their supreme bugaboo. And while he and his team might play in the opposite conference and only face the Niners sporadically — Sunday was the fifth matchup, regular and post-season, since Shanahan became San Francisco’s head coach — his presence and his still-unblemished record against the Niners expose a serious vulnerability in San Francisco’s already fragile psyche.
Advertisement
Had the Niners finally beaten Mahomes on Sunday — no matter the circumstances — they would have exited Levi’s Stadium feeling like the favorites to achieve the team’s singular goal, winning the Super Bowl. They circled this game on the schedule when it was released — it was the ultimate measuring-stick contest — and they would have been justifiably riding high with a victory.
The inverse must be true in a loss.
I won’t say the Niners’ season is over. There’s too much football to play, and too much talent remaining on this team. (Even in its hyper-injured state.)
But Sunday certainly marks the turning point for this 49ers season that has been chaotic at its best and disastrous at its all-too-frequent worst.
And in this all-or-nothing season, that represents a referendum on an era of 49ers football.
Advertisement
Just as the Niners, the media, and fans will looked forward to his game for months, we will all be look back on Sunday’s result in the weeks and months to come.
Either the Niners used this latest Kansas City barbecuing as a galvanizing event — something to bring a fractured (in an all-too-literal way) team together, bringing out a yet-to-be-seen best — or it was the point of no return for this not-quite-good-enough dynasty.
Yes, the coming weeks will prove to be Shanahan’s toughest test yet. It’s one thing to build a shrewd offensive plan for a week’s game. It’s a whole other challenge to keep together a team that’s emotionally on the brink.
And make no mistake, that’s where the 49ers stand.
Because even if Shanahan and the 49ers can find a way to overcome Sunday’s loss — to turn a negative into a positive — there will always be doubt in the back of this team’s mind.
Advertisement
And all signs point to it being insidious.
This San Francisco squad was built to compete for titles and be satisfied with nothing less. This team is fully justified in its belief it can beat 30 of the other 31 NFL teams.
But no one will take care of the 49ers’ problem — their singular problem, it seems — for them. The entire football-watching planet — has every reason to believe that Kansas City will be playing for football’s ultimate prize in New Orleans in February. It’s effectively preordained with Mahomes at quarterback for the back-to-back champions, who have played in four of the last five Super Bowls.
So what belief can the Niners still harbor that this team, now 3-4 on the season and with an injury list so prolific and pointed that it’s bordering on Shakespearean, will be able to beat the Chiefs and Mahomes should they meet up again?
The Niners were keen to diminish Sunday’s loss as “only one game” in a dozen different ways.
Advertisement
The issue is that the loss came to a team that doesn’t just have the Niners’ number — they have their letters and punctuation marks, too. They’re toying with them at this point, and the scoreline Sunday flattered the Niners, who were 2-for-11 on third down, threw three interceptions, and possessed the ball for ten fewer minutes than Kansas City Sunday, all while Mahomes and the impressive Kansas City defense made big play after big play when the circumstances of the game called for their best.
Mahomes’ greatness can only be appropriately described as magic. “Patrick Mahomes stuff,” Niners tight end George Kittle called it.
Football is a sport of brains and brawn — how do you beat something downright ethereal?
And how can the Niners think they’re the team to do it when their season has felt so cursed from the start?
Of course, Sunday brought about another critical, season-changing injury for San Francisco — Brandon Aiyuk left the game in the second quarter with what is believed to be a torn ACL in his right knee. Pair that with an injury to go-to-receiver Jauan Jennings and an illness that kept Deebo Samuel sidelined for most of the game, and the Niners were running out a third-team receiving crew in the second half Sunday. Such shorthandedness feels like par for the course for this team.
Advertisement
The lack of receivers was one of the many reasons San Francisco lost, but the never-ending string of injuries hardly inspires confidence in the future.
And how does this team push forward when their confidence (and bodies) are so bruised?
Over the last few years, the Niners have delivered a series of destabilizing punches to their opponents. The Cowboys, Packers, Lions, and Eagles all curse the Niners’ name like San Francisco does the Chiefs’.
How often have I written that the Niners “broke” the opposition since the start of the 2019 campaign?
Well, the tables might have turned Sunday. And while the effects won’t be obvious immediately, when we look back on this game in a few months, we’ll know if this is true:
Advertisement
After six years of success all but one other NFL team would gladly take, Mahomes might have landed the blow that finally fell the once-mighty Niners.
CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are getting one receiver back and losing another for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Rookie wideout Jalen Coker, who has started in recent weeks, is inactive this week after a quadriceps injury suffered in practice Thursday.
The Panthers are getting veteran Adam Thielen back on the field this week. He’s been out since a hamstring injury in Week 3 on a long touchdown pass from Andy Dalton.
Johnson suffered a concussion in Germany and practiced this week.
Advertisement
The Panthers brought wide receiver Dan Chisena and outside linebacker Kenny Dyson up from the practice squad for depth purposes.
Click here to view the full injury report | Depth Chart | Roster
The Liberty Flames (5-1) face the Kansas State Wildcats (4-1) on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center. It begins at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN+.
Kansas State won at home over George Washington 83-71 last time out, and was led by David N’Guessan (17 PTS, 9 REB, 62.5 FG%) and Dug McDaniel (13 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL, 45.45 FG%).
Liberty beat Louisiana 89-69 at home in its last game. Its top scorers were Kaden Metheny (20 PTS, 70 FG%, 4-6 from 3PT) and Taelon Peter (12 PTS, 62.5 FG%).
Prepare for this matchup with everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s college hoops action.
Advertisement
Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Watch college basketball on ESPN+!
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Liberty Flames
Game day: Sunday, November 24, 2024
Game time: 8:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live stream: ESPN+ – Watch NOW
NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Lines
Spread: Kansas State -2.5
Total: 134.5
College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 3:00 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Watch college basketball on ESPN+!
Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
Advertisement
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Devin Neal put Kansas on his back with four touchdowns on his Senior Day as the Jayhawks rolled past #16 Colorado 37-21 for their third straight ranked win. Kansas kept its bowl eligibility hopes alive heading into its final game of the season.
Neal rushed for 207 yards on 37 carries and added 80 yards through the air. Jalon Daniels completed 14 of his 21 passes for 189 yards, and the defense made enough plays to come out with a win.
First quarter
Kansas got on the board first, relying on Devin Neal. He got the Jayhawks going on the ground before taking a quick pass out of the backfield for 51 yards to the house. Neal got four touches on six plays as Kansas took an early 7-0 lead.
Advertisement
The dream start continued for the Jayhawks as the defense forced a three-and-out. Kansas bottled up two screens before Shedeur Sanders missed Travis Hunter on third down, and Colorado punted.
The Jayhawks had to settle for three points on their next drive, but they controlled the clock over a 7:46 possession. Sevion Morrison got five carries while Daniels picked up 20 yards on a scramble. The drive eventually stalled, and Tabor Allen hit a 24-yard field goal.
Colorado got its offense going on its second drive. Sanders completed three passes as the Buffaloes drove into Kansas territory.
Second quarter
The Buffaloes drive quickly came to an end after Tommy Dunn stopped Dallan Hayden in the backfield for a loss on third down. The Jayhawks stopped the run again on fourth down, taking over at their 41 yard line.
Advertisement
Kansas took complete control, going down the field with ease. Daniels converted a third down with his legs, and found Trevor Kardell for a 23-yard pickup to put the Jayhawks into the red zone. Neal got into the end zone from nine yards out to give Kansas a 17-0 lead with 9:02 to play in the first half.
Colorado broke into the scoring column in quick fashion. Sanders picked up 17 yards on a scramble, then hit Hunter on a screen, who took it 51 yards for a touchdown.
Morrison picked up a 15-yard run before Neal gained 47 yards on a wildcat carry to get the ball into the red zone. However, Kansas wasn’t able to get into the endzone, with Allen hitting a 23-yarder to extend the Jayhawks’ lead to 20-7.
The Buffaloes inched closer as Sanders looked impressive. After a low, late hit, Sanders completed passes of 16, 25, and 19 yards. Drelon Miller made a pair of tough catches, including the 19-yard touchdown to cut Kansas’ lead to 20-14.
Kansas saw a positive two-minute drill, but once again had to settle for a field goal. Daniels picked up 31 yards on a QB draw and Neal got the Jayhawks into the red zone. However, Daniels threw incompletions on second and third and goal from the two. Allen made a 25-yard field goal to give Kansas a 23-14 lead heading into the half.
Advertisement
Third quarter
Colorado got a 43-yard kickoff return to open a touchdown drive to put the Buffaloes right back in it. Sanders connected with Hunter for another touchdown, this time he was left open for a 26-yard touchdown to make the score 23-21.
Kansas went on a 10-play drive, getting whatever it wanted on the ground. Neal continued to run with his head on fire, picking up multiple 10-plus yard carries. He scored his third touchdown of the day, eventually getting into the end zone after three carries from inside the five to give the Jayhawks some breathing room, 30-21.
The Jayhawks defense got a stop for the first time in a while to help Kansas continue to build momentum. Dean Miller made a pair of big plays, stuffing a jet touch pass and getting pressure to Sanders as Kansas sacked him for the first time. Colorado punted, giving the Jayhawks the ball at their own 30.
Kansas’ offense continued to get whatever it wanted. The Jayhawks dialed up a couple of nifty plays to their tight ends. Daniels made a play with his legs again, picking up 12 yards before hitting Neal out of the backfield for 15 as Kansas drove into the red zone at the end of the quarter.
Advertisement
Fourth quarter
Neal put the team on his back, rushing five straight times to get in the end zone for his fourth touchdown. He picked up a fourth-down conversion before getting into the end zone from two yards out to give Kansas a 37-21 lead with 11:47 to play.
Colorado drove into Kansas territory, but the Jayhawks defense bore down and forced a turnover on downs. The drive took 5:25 off the clock as Kansas looked to close in on another ranked win.
Kansas ran out the remaining 6:22, relying on Neal to close out the game.