The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played against the San Francisco 49ers might as well belong to a different era.
It was, of course, Super Bowl LIV. The first weekend of February, in 2020. A week after Kobe Bryant’s stunning, sudden, tragic death. And the last time a major sports showpiece would be recognizable for a long, long time, with the grip of COVID-19 and all its life-altering ramifications soon to hit.
Patrick Mahomes quarterbacked the Chiefs. He was already established as one of the primary faces of the NFL, both for then and the future. Kansas City looked stable, dominant and built for long-term success, with a big, scary tight end capable of permanent disruption in Travis Kelce.
Jimmy Garoppolo quarterbacked the 49ers, but despite a strong postseason track record, his job security was in question. The 49ers looked like potential contenders, but such an outcome was by no means guaranteed, even with a big, scary tight end of their own — George Kittle.
Take the previous two sentences, change them into the present tense, and … yep, that’s right. They still apply.
Somehow, even with everything that has happened; a global pandemic, the drafting of Trey Lance, the departure of Tyreek Hill, the imminent arrival of Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco, a pair of postseason disappointments for K.C. and a squandered NFC Championship chance last season for the Niners, these two teams and this pair of quarterbacks are pretty much as they were, back in those days when normal meant something different.
Ahead of Sunday’s rematch, (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX) the biggest surprise is that there hasn’t been more change. Mahomes’ tally of Super Bowl rings is still one, when it might easily have been three had the Chiefs not fallen apart against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl a year later, then again, inexplicably, in the second half of the AFC Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals this January.
Where do the Chiefs land in David Helman’s NFL Power Rankings?
Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy and James Jones react to David Helman’s Week 7 NFL Power Rankings.
He is perhaps the only player in the league (though a case could be made for Aaron Rodgers the past two seasons and for Josh Allen this year), for whom any result other than lifting the Lombardi Trophy could be seen as insufficient.
“This isn’t our standard,” Mahomes said after that famous Bengals revival. “We want to win the Super Bowl.”
The Chiefs are currently 4-2, ending up on the wrong end of a barnstorming shootout against Allen’s Bills five days ago, yet with aspirations undimmed and opportunities abundant. Kelce restructured his contract and made it clear he’d like the money spent on free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a potential move designed to give the offense even more potency.
Almost every other team in the NFL would happily swap their position for that of the Chiefs, FOX Bet’s third-favorite squad to win it all with +800 odds. But not every team has the same kind of goals, the same level of expectation. When nothing but being the best will be considered good enough, a setback like the one we saw last week needs to be recovered from.
What better matchup, then, than the team against whom they launched one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent Super Bowl history?
Don’t forget, the 49ers were ahead 20-10 after three quarters at Hard Rock Stadium, before Mahomes went on a game-winning tear that resulted in a 31-20 final score.
But while we’re on the topic of comebacks, the issue cuts both ways. Even though Garoppolo is still under center for San Francisco, as he was nearly three years ago, his current position represents a resurgence of great significance, best summed up with a succession of cliches.
Jimmy G was on thin ice after that Super Bowl, following a spate of errant second-half throws that could have sealed the contest. He was on borrowed time when Lance was selected in the summer of 2021, at great draft-capital expense. And he was in the doghouse at the end of last season, going so far as to clear his locker and say goodbye to his San Francisco colleagues, plus the Bay Area media and public.
But here he is, with no takers having emerged for his services in the offseason, yet now with a rejigged contract and a fresh opportunity once Lance went down hurt in Week Two.
A spate of injuries has led to inconsistency. The team looked excellent in beating the Los Angeles Rams and atrocious in losing to the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. It is hoped that McCaffrey’s addition can add variety to the offense.
“I’m not trying to make excuses,” Garoppolo said, after another setback, against Atlanta, dropped the squad to 3-3 last weekend. “We’ve got to bring the energy regardless of when and where it is. Guys are hurt — (other) guys have to step up in those situations. It is the NFL, it’s not easy.”
Sunday’s clash represents something of a junction for both teams. The first meeting since their shared Super Bowl will bring a little nostalgia, but both teams need to live in the present.
Mahomes has no shortage of confidence, and you can be assured he feels that a single title at this point of his career is something of a letdown.
Garoppolo would have expected to be in a different uniform by now, but instead, after summer surgery, he shoulders the hopes of the 49ers offense once more.
What next? Who knows, but it starts now.
A lot has changed since early 2020 — in football, in the world, in the lives of Mahomes and Garoppolo. But through it all there are some familiar feelings for them to embrace this week. They have much to prove, some items to cross off the to-do list, and first, a familiar foe to do battle with.
