The Kansas City Chiefs pulled off yet another postseason comeback, this time in the biggest game of them all. Trailing by 10 points in the first half, they completed a come-from-behind victory in overtime, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.
There were a lot of obstacles for Kansas City to overcome in the game as they struggled mightily in the early going. A fumble by Christian McCaffrey kept the 49ers off the board on their first drive of the game, where they moved the ball with ease down the field.
The Chiefs’ defense was doing what it could to keep the team in the game as their offense took a while to get going. Isiah Pacheco had multiple fumbles in the game and Patrick Mahomes threw an interception as the 49ers’ pressure was hard to handle.
NFL News & Rumors: Dre Greenlaw, Oren Burks, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs Updates
Alas, a turning point occurred in the second quarter. While running out to the field following a punt, linebacker Dre Greenlaw was seen falling to the ground. Heading onto the field, he tore his Achilles, ending his night prematurely.
Greenlaw combines with Fred Warner to make arguably the best linebacker duo in the NFL. Without Greenlaw on the field, the 49ers had to turn to backup Oren Burks. He gave it everything he had, but the Chiefs took full advantage of the situation.
Greenlaw is one of the better coverage linebackers in the NFL, and without him on the field, the Chiefs’ passing offense got going. Mahomes targeted Burks over and over and found plenty of success.
According to Coach YAC on X, San Francisco had no answers once Burks was inserted into the lineup. The Chiefs targeted him nine times and he allowed nine receptions. One of Mahomes’ two passing touchdowns came when targeting Burks, as he allowed a passer rating of 134.7 when targeted. Burks’ coverage grade of 32.1 per PFF is well below average.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, and for the 49ers, they had a key player suffer one at the most inopportune time. Replacing Greenlaw on the fly in the middle of the game proved too much to overcome.
NFL News & Rumors: Dre Greenlaw, Oren Burks, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs Updates
On their first four drives of the game, the Chiefs managed to gain only 79 net yards of offense and zero points. Kansas City had nine more drives after that and scored on six of them, including their last four of the game.
Greenlaw not being in the lineup was a massive loss, which the Chiefs took full advantage of. It is a tough break for San Francisco, who has seen injuries derail their last two playoff runs, keeping them from winning the Lombardi Trophy once again.
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