We hand out a pair of game balls to the San Francisco 49ers from the Niners’ 38-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
On today’s Locked On 49ers Podcast, host Brian Peacock provided a rundown of the game — including game notes and key takeaways — and handed out two game balls from the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 of the 2018 NFL regular season.
The biggest story from yesterday’s matchup wasn’t the final score. Instead, it was the knee injury sustained by 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of the game. On Monday, an MRI confirmed Garoppolo’s knee injury was indeed a torn ACL, which will keep Garoppolo off the field for the remainder of the 2018 NFL season:
MRI showed what 49ers feared: Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL and his season is over, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2018
Unfortunately, Garoppolo wasn’t the only prominent player the 49ers lost on Sunday. Cornerback Richard Sherman — who left the stadium in a walking boot — sustained a calf injury that will keep him out for an estimated two to three weeks:
Richard Sherman will be out 2-3 weeks with a calf strain, after his MRI, per source. @RSherman_25 #49ers
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 24, 2018
The San Francisco 49ers lost the game, their starting quarterback for the rest of the season and their top cornerback for the next few weeks, but we still have game balls to hand out. Our first game ball goes to a player who’s stood out over the Niners’ first three games, and will likely be asked to play a larger role for the 49ers over the remainder of the 2018 season:
49ers RB Matt Breida
The FedEx Ground Player of the Week in Week 2 was at it again on Sunday, and improved on his league-leading 8.4 yards per carry average. 49ers running back Matt Breida gouged the Chiefs’ defense for 90 yards on the ground on just 10 carries, and added another 24 receiving yards on three receptions.
Breida now leads the NFL with 274 rushing yards, 8.6 yards per carry and six runs of over 20 yards. After amassing 465 yards on the ground as a rookie, the second-year back is on pace for 1,461 rushing yards in 2018:
Some Week 3 film from the NFL’s leading rusher, #49ers RB @MattBreida. #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/ehiovj32Gw
— Chris Wilson (@cgawilson) September 25, 2018
49ers’ Offensive Line
The five members of San Francisco’s offensive line split our second game ball from Sunday’s matchup. The offensive line helped the 49ers average 6.1 rushing yards on the ground and convert a pair of fourth-down runs, while giving Garoppolo the time to throw for 251 yards — averaging 8.37 yards per attempt — and a pair of touchdown passes.
Listen to Locked On 49ers host Brian Peacock’s review of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — including game notes and key takeaways from the Niners’ third game of the season — on today’s Rapid React podcast:
About the Author: Chris Wilson
