This Sunday, the 49ers Will Finally Catch the One That Got Away: Here’s How!

The San Francisco 49ers have had their fair share of heartbreaking losses against the Kansas City Chiefs, particularly against their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. This Sunday, the 49ers (3-3) have the perfect opportunity to prove themselves and finally hand the Chiefs (5-0) their first loss of the season.

The 49ers can't afford familiar mistakes on every level of their team if they're to achieve this feat. Injuries have plagued the team this season, but they'll need everyone to step up on both sides of the ball.

First, the 49ers need their quarterback Brock Purdy to be at the top of his game. Purdy will need to ensure that his decision-making is quick and assertive, given the immense talent of the Chiefs' defense. Protection will be crucial, as the Chiefs have plenty of talented players on the defensive line. The 49ers must use an effective combination of run and pass plays to maintain balance and keep the Chiefs' defense guessing.

The 49ers' running backs will also need to come big, especially if Christian McCaffrey can get going early in the game. His talent for making the first defender miss can't be overstated, so the offense will be dependent on his success. This balance between passing and running will keep the Chiefs guessing and force them to prepare for an unpredictable attack.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be key to this balance. As well as stretching the Chiefs defense, he could get free with some well-set-up screen passes and use his versatility to change the game's dynamic on multiple fronts. Combining deep shots with deep cover passes that force defenders to catch up should open more possibilities.

Meanwhile, on defense, safety Tashaun Gipson, among others, might receive extended time to contain or slow down the likes of Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Together, the San Francisco coaching staff will work to create an 'inside and out' job - one in which tackling near the line of scrimmage gets executed without trouble and minimizing when tackling outside, at the risk of a bigger play developing.

A mix of man and zone will be the true challenge for the Niners in potentially figuring out when each might be best suited. The complexity of seeing individual assignments while defending could have the task taking considerable processing time of individualized steps executed accordingly one and single for one defensive back since Patrick Mahomes requires active timing.

In any event, this Sunday presents another thrilling opportunity for the 49ers to show growth and fight, to exhibit to themselves that progress is being made and to show that confidence against opponents is an immense issue to tackle. More importantly, taking down Patrick Mahomes would reinvigorate their confidence.