Chiefs Lose 15-13 To 49es In Preseason Home Opener from KC Star
The starters played the first half and left the game with a 13-6 lead, but that came courtesy of one big play. Quintin Demps returned a kickoff 104 yards for the Chiefs' only touchdown.
Otherwise, things were rough for the Chiefs in the first half, particularly on offense. The 49ers removed their starters after the first possession but the Chiefs looked nothing like they did on their one flawless drive last week in New Orleans.
Quarterback Alex Smith completed just seven of 16 passes and was sacked three times. The Chiefs, who played without injured running back Jamaal Charles, had just 92 yards in the first half. The Chiefs again failed to complete a pass to either starting wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe or Jon Baldwin.
Chiefs Fall Late To 49ers In Preseason Home Opener from The Mothership
The 49ers first play from scrimmage went to RB Frank Gore, who weaved his way across the field and back, totaling 52 yards on the rush. Chiefs LB Justin Houston helped the team respond, stuffing 49ers RB LaMichael James for a three-yard loss on the very next play. Two plays later equated two yards, forcing a Phil Dawson 42-yard field goal. SF 3 KC 0.
The 49ers owned the three-point lead for 14 seconds, when on the ensuing kickoff, Chiefs DB Quintin Demps fielded the kick four yards deep in his end zone and sprinted with the rock 104 yards for the score.
More Reason For Concern After This Chiefs Preseason Game from KC Star
Friday, with the exception of the lightning flash of a 104-yard kickoff return by Quintin Demps that came so early that thousands snarled in traffic missed it, the game largely was defined by the sluggishness of the first-team offense.
A group that had been virtually flawless in its lone series at New Orleans, going 80 yards on 14 plays with quarterback Alex Smith completing seven of eight passes, needed seven first-half series to muster 92 yards.
Smith, playing against the team that traded him after last season, completed seven passes again, but this time it took 16 attempts mostly against reserves as the 49ers went to the bench early.
Questions And Answers From The Chiefs-49ers Game from KC Star
Who is the Chiefs star of the preseason halfway through?
How about a coach, special-teams coordinator Dave Toub? The Chiefs have been lifeless on returns for two seasons, but they delivered two big returns for the second straight week. Quintin Demps returned a kickoff 104 yards for the only first-half touchdown and Devon Wylie had a 52-yard punt return in the third quarter. The Chiefs gave a play back to the 49ers in the third quarter when, with the backups in the game, they allowed San Francisco's Parys Haralson to come unblocked and get a hand on a Dustin Colquitt punt.
Chiefs' Special Teams Continue To Sizzle from KC Star
"I think we're going to be special on special teams," Demps said. "I just saw a big hole. My guys did a great job of blocking. All credit to them."
To illustrate how bad the Chiefs' return game has been during the last few years, Demps' return was the first for a touchdown since Nov. 22, 2009, when Jamaal Charles went 97 yards with the opening kickoff in a 27-24 win over Pittsburgh.
That's 190 kickoffs returned by 24 return men covering 54 regular-season games without a touchdown.
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Highlight Photos From Chiefs vs San Francisco
FOX 4 KC Video: Chiefs Fans Kick Off Preseason Home Opener
NFL.com Video: Pre Week 2: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Highlights
49ers Edge Chiefs from The Associated Press via ESPN
It was that kind of night for Smith and the rest of the Kansas City offense.
Pressured the entire first half by the San Francisco defense, the Chiefs were unable to get much going without injured Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles. The only touchdown they scored was on a kickoff return, and that wasn't enough in a 15-13 preseason loss Friday night.
"We left a lot out there, I think. Didn't handle the pressure as well, and just some finer details here and there," Smith said. "We certainly left a lot out there."
Recap: Smith Struggles As 49ers Rally Past Chiefs from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
"It felt a lot like going against my brother," he said. "It was different. It was personal, in the best kind of way. I wish him great success and health. We'll be following him."
Great success and health? Hardly.
Smith was wrestled to the ground at least half a dozen times by the 49ers' defense, the most vicious blow coming in the second quarter, when defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie leveled a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was flagged for a personal foul on the play.
Backup Plan? McCoy, Tolzien Struggle Again In Win Over Kansas City from The San Francisco Chronicle
Colin Kaepernick was on the field for four snaps Friday night, far less than a starting quarterback typically receives in a second preseason game.
One reason for Kaepernick's blink-and-you-missed-it performance: If their first-string quarterback gets injured, the 49ers could have a second-tier team.
For the second time in as many preseason games, the primary quarterbacks battling to be Kaepernick's understudy, Colt McCoy and Scott Tolzien, turned in forgettable performances.
Saints [sic] vs Chiefs Recap: KC's Offensive Woes from Warpaint Illustrated
But before we let our blood boil and jump off the Red Bandwagon, this is just the second preseason game for the Chiefs. And logically speaking, what happens in August isn't always a precursor to what happens in September. But after a stellar first impression, Smith in particular, he didn't look very good against his old team.
I'm sure head coach, Andy Reid, wasn't very pleased with his first team offense, who played much of the first half. But the troubling aspect of this game for me was the Chiefs offensive line, especially franchise left tackle Branden Albert, didn't seem to every get in sync.
Smith And Former 49ers Teammates 'Happy It's Over' from FS Kansas City
Blood is blood, business is business, and ne'er the twain. The narrative came, the narrative went, and the narrative roughed him up a little along the way.
But it's over. The circus moves on. If there's a silver lining for Smith and the Chiefs out of Friday, it's that.
"He doesn't have any vengeful (feelings) or spitefulness," said Niners tackle Joe Staley, one of Smith's closer confidants in the San Francisco locker room. "I think he's closed that chapter in his life, that chapter with the Niners. And he's moved on to the Chiefs now."
Instant Replay: 49ers Sack Alex Smith Three Times In 15-13 Win from CSN Bay Area
Alex Smith is no longer around, and the 49ers have an issue at backup quarterback.
The 49ers have every reason to feel good about starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. And they have every reason to be concerned about the depth behind him.
Once Again, Chiefs Special Teams Grab Fans' Attention from FS Kansas City
OK, OK, it's a small sample size, just two games.
But whoa, there's something truly dynamic going on with these Chiefs' special teams. Don't you dare leave your seats.
And those around the NFL would expect no less now that Dave Toub is running the show -- Toub earned the reputation as one of the elite special-teams coaches in the league for eight years with the Chicago Bears.
49ers Notes: Special Teams Still A Problem Against Chiefs from The Sacramento Bee
The 49ers strengthened their special teams in the offseason by signing free agents like Dawson and coverage ace Dan Skuta and by drafting players like linebacker Nick Moody.
All three were on the field as Quintin Demps took Dawson's kick four yards deep in the end zone, split Skuta and safety Craig Dahl and then outraced Dawson and cornerback Perish Cox for the touchdown, the only one of the half.
Smith Takes Lumps Against 49ers Defense from The San Francisco Chronicle
The 49ers' defense didn't wait until the post-game handshakes Friday night to get cozy with quarterback Alex Smith, who spent his first eight seasons with the 49ers.
Smith played the entire first half for his new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and had a rough time against his former teammates in the 49ers' 15-13 victory in an exhibition game at Arrowhead Stadium.
NFL Pro Bowl Fast Facts from CNN
Randall McDaniel (Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Will Shields (Kansas City Chiefs) and Champ Bailey (Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos) hold the record for most Pro Bowl games played with 12.
Kawakami: Colin Kaepernick-Alex Smith Showdown Was Interesting, But Mostly Uneventful from The San Jose Mercury News
Two grand conclusions from tonight's highly anticipated 49ers' preseason game vs. the Chiefs:
1) Jim Harbaugh was so intrigued by the Alex Smith vs. Colin Kaepernick storyline that he only played Kaepernick for one short series in Kansas City.
Apparently: Not that intrigued...
...2) But from the looks of all the drops and weak wide receiver efforts, I'd say that BOTH Smith and Kaepernick are missing the presence of Michael Crabtree right now.
Great Expectations from Grantland
For one, it might be a good idea to tap the brakes on Jamaal Charles. His 1,509-yard campaign last year was driven by three plays (adding in an 80-yard run to the two 85-plus yarders) that produced a combined 257 yards; the Chiefs didn't use him very frequently near the goal line, as Charles didn't receive a single carry inside the 3-yard line and had just two inside the 5, but he still had a mere one touchdown that began inside the 30-yard line.
Reid Talks Expectations, Outside And Inside The Building from ProFootballTalk
Many expect the Chiefs, who had three times as many Pro Bowlers as wins in 2012, to instantly improve with Andy Reid as the coach and Alex Smith as the quarterback.
Reid addressed whether those expectations are fair in a recent interview with NBCSN'sPro Football Talk.
NFL Doles Out Fines For First Week Of Preseason Action from USA Today
At least nine other players were fined $7,875 each for various infractions: Ray-Ray Armstrong of the St. Louis Rams (face mask); Fred Davis (unsportsmanlike conduct) and Bacarri Rambo (late hit) of the Redskins; Antoine Winfield of the Seattle Seahawks (late hit); Jimmy Wilson (late hit) of the Miami Dolphins; Jalil Brown (late hit) of the Kansas City Chiefs