Mahomes, Chiefs not slowing down
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes was flushed from the pocket and scrambled all the way to his left — only to realize that just about everybody on the field wearing a Kansas City jersey was on the right.
It was a rookie mistake by the second-year pro. He turned it into the type of magic that has been characteristic of his first year as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.
Mahomes quickly reversed field against the pursuing San Francisco defense, ran all the way to the other side and threw a dart to Chris Conley in the back of the end zone. It was one of three touchdown passes by Mahomes in a 38-27 victory Sunday over the 49ers — and easily the most impressive.
“That,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged with a smile, “was a good one.”
Mahomes finished with 314 passing yards in his first regular-season start at Arrowhead Stadium, and his touchdown throws to Conley, Demetrius Harris and Sammy Watkins gave him 13 this season without an interception. That total broke the NFL record of 12 for the first three weeks of a season, set by Peyton Manning with the Denver Broncos in 2013.
More importantly, all those touchdown tosses have helped the Chiefs start 3-0.
“We’ve got a bunch of weapons, and Pat is just a competitor,” said Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who notched his first two touchdown runs this season. “I knew that from the day we met, when we got drafted together. We said one day we were going to take over the Chiefs Kingdom.”
The Chiefs have clearly found their long-term answer at quarterback.
The 49ers have a whole lot of questions now.
Jimmy Garoppolo left late in the fourth quarter after his left knee buckled during a scramble to the sideline. He was crushed on his throwing shoulder by the Chiefs’ Steven Nelson, but the damage was done before then. The 49ers’ franchise quarterback, acquired last year in a trade with the New England Patriots, was carted off to the locker room.
“We fear an ACL (injury),” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. “We’ll find out for sure tomorrow.”
The 49ers (1-2) trailed 35-7 late in the first half before rallying behind Garoppolo, who passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Breida added 90 yards on the ground and Alfred Morris rushed for a score as San Francisco clawed to within 35-24 late in the third quarter.
The deficit was 38-24 when the 49ers produced a grinding, 17-play drive that wiped out more than half of the fourth quarter. The series ended in a strange sequence that began with Garoppolo taking the shot from Nelson along the sideline, rather than stepping out of bounds and avoiding the hit.
“I think that was his fault,” said Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, who was trailing the play. “I pray he’s not hurt, it’s nothing serious, but as a quarterback you should step out of bounds. It’s only an inch. An inch wouldn’t have made a difference. You got the yardage. You need to be smart.”
C.J. Beathard came in on third-and-goal and threw what appeared to be a touchdown pass to George Kittle, but it was wiped out by offensive pass interference with 5:17 left in the game.
Rather than go for it on fourth down at the Kansas City 25, Shanahan elected to kick a field goal — keeping it a two-possession game. Then the 49ers kicked off deep rather than try an onside kick, and the Chiefs picked up a first down by penalty before Hunt churned for two more to put the game away.
“That’s our time in the game,” Reid said. “You take a lot of pride in it. They’re going backward and we’re going forward, and it’s all good.”
Shanahan acknowledged a quarterback move is likely, though Beathard is line to start next Sunday against the Chargers in Los Angeles. The 49ers’ only other quarterback is Nick Mullins, a member of the practice squad.
“I just talked to (Garoppolo) in the training room,” Beathard said. “I told him I’ll be praying for him and I love him, and he just told me to lead these guys.”