Chiefs-49ers 5 questions with the enemy: Is this a playoff-built rivalry?

We welcome Niners Nation for answers to five questions about the 49ers before Sunday’s Week 7 matchup

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers. We welcome Marc Delucchi of Niners Nation — our sister SBNation site covering the 49ers — for Five Questions with the Enemy.

1) Many of us grew up watching the 49ers as part of great rivalries forged through playoff matchups. How do the Chiefs compare as Bay Area villains to like the 1990s Cowboys?

This is a great question! Weirdly enough, I don’t think the Niners’ fanbase has turned the two Super Bowl losses into a bitter hatred of Kansas City in the way that builds a contentious rivalry. I think there’s a few reasons for this, namely that neither team really has any players/coaches adding fuel to the fire. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid just don’t spark animus — and Kyle Shanahan has never been one to lean into that either. The Niners’ biggest recent rivalry with the Seahawks was centrally tied to Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh’s longstanding hatred for one another. Add in Richard Sherman’s soured relationship with Harbaugh, and the sparks were there to fly.

I don’t think it’s set in stone, though. Frankly, the Niners need to beat Kansas City first. Things could get a lot spicier if the 49ers force Kansas City to begin looking up at them.

2) The 49ers are coming off of a big win against the Seahawks after some shocking losses to start the year. How much confidence did the Thursday night win build?

I don’t know if it built much confidence as much as it averted disaster. The 49ers’ roster (and fanbase) have been through this before. The team has a lot of talent — and seemingly every year, have a stretch of perplexing losses. Dropping the Thursday night matchup against Seattle would’ve prompted some concerns that this Niners team may actually be on a downward spiral.

3) The 49ers could be down their leading rusher and receiver in Jordan Mason and Jauan Jennings. What tricks do you expect Kyle Shanahan to have up his sleeve against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense?

Rookie first-round pick Ricky Pearsall is trending toward playing in his first NFL game. Don’t be shocked if he ends up playing a larger role than expected if Jennings is indeed out.

Note: Jennings was officially listed as out while Mason was left off the team’s final injury report. Pearsall is listed as questionable but is expected to play. He was activated from the 49ers’ Reserve/Non-Football Injury list on Saturday’s NFL transactions report.

4) Brock Purdy just keeps going no matter how much doubt is thrown at him and will soon be extension-eligible. Where do you see the former Mr. Irrelevant fitting into the ever-exploding quarterback salary scale?

I think a lot depends on how he wants to play it. Being a seventh-round pick, Purdy has more easy access to free agency. If he were willing to play on the franchise tag, he could really put the Niners in a difficult position in 2026 and beyond. But for a player who hasn’t had a seven-figure salary yet, that seems like an unlikely move. Shanahan loves Purdy, the locker room loves Purdy, and it looks like he’s taken some noteworthy steps forward this year. The floor is $50 million per year assuming he stays on his current trajectory this year, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up setting a new AAV record.

5) What is your official Super Bowl LVIII rematch prediction?

If it were the playoffs, I would pick Kansas City, but we’re not in the playoffs. The Niners don’t have a big rest disadvantage against a BYE coming off TNF and do have home-field advantage. I also think they’ll have a much larger emotional investment in this game. This is the team that took a Super Bowl championship away from them — so this is a small shot at revenge. Add in that Kansas City is undefeated and I think San Francisco will bring enough intensity to pull off a 28-24 win.