The Kansas City Chiefs kick off their preseason slate on the road against the San Francisco Giants Saturday night on the West Coast. The matchup, somewhat a rematch of Super Bowl LIV, is one of ten preseason contests taking place on Saturday.
The kickoff for Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. According to the oddsmakers, the 49ers are a 2.5-point favorite in the preseason opener, and the point total over/under is 38.
What to Know – Kansas City Chiefs
Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl to defend their title but was upended by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-9. The Chiefs rolled through the regular season with a 14-2 record while winning the AFC West division and capturing back-to-back AFC Championships. Kansas City has the highest preseason win total prediction at 12 victories this upcoming season.
Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes remains in Kansas City but don’t expect to see the star quarterback much during the preseason. The Chiefs’ offense will feature a lot of backups Chad Henne and Shane Buechele, this preseason. Kansas City has a lot of depth at their skilled positions on offense, expect the Chiefs to still be able to move the ball regardless of who rests during the opener.
The Chiefs’ defense returns many faces from last season’s team, but the unit will try and improve their production in the secondary. A few players on the two-deep are likely to sit out the contest due to injuries, so expect many players battling for a roster spot to see playing time.
What to Know – San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers will spend most of the preseason figuring out who will be their starting quarterback when the regular season is here. San Francisco drafted quarterback Trey Lance with the 3rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to compete with incumbent starter Jimmy Garropollo. The 49ers finished 2020 with a 6-10 record and have a projected win total of 10 in 2021.
There has been a lot of buzz out of the 49ers camp that Lance appears to be ahead of schedule in his development and poised to take over the starting role at some point during the regular season. Lance should see a lot of action Saturday night in his first professional contest under center. Like their counterpart, the 49ers aren’t lacking at depth at the skilled positions on offense.
San Francisco returns a stout defense from 2020 and gets a pair of defensive lineman back after missing action last season. Nick Bosa and Dee Ford return but most likely won’t see time in the preseason opener. The 49ers’ defense will lean on backups and offseason signees Saturday night as players battle for a 53-man roster spot.
The Pick is In
San Francisco will probably get Lance as many reps under center as they are comfortable with Saturday night as the coaches get him acclimated to NFL speed. Head coach Andy Reid is notorious for sitting out many of his starters during the first few preseason games, and that won’t change for the opener.
We feel like we are beating a dead horse at this point, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Take the under here.
The Pick is In: San Franciso/Kansas City – UNDER 38
