The San Francisco 49ers see the Kansas City Chiefs in their nightmares.
It’s only natural, two Super Bowl losses to one team in the past five years will do that to you. Losing in overtime last season only makes it that much worse.
But in Week 7, the 49ers have been gifted a chance that not many Super Bowl runner-ups get the following season — a chance at some redemption.
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, the 49ers host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday night and have a chance to hand Kansas City its first loss of the season.
It’s easy to get caught up in the history of the 49ers’ losses to the Chiefs on the biggest stage. And it’s fair to ask if Andy Reid and Mahomes have 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s number.
But Shanahan will be the first to tell you, it’s a new year and the Super Bowl defeat is a thing of the past.
“I think everyone understands that we lost two Super Bowls to them so that can give a little post-traumatic stress when you turn on the tape,” Shanahan told reporters this week. “But I think that’s human nature, but you have to make sure you don’t get caught up in that. This game has nothing to do with past games. That was last year.”
It’s the right attitude to take into a game of this magnitude, but you know this one means a little extra to the 49ers head coach. It also means a little extra because, unlike the undefeated Chiefs, the 49ers have stumbled out the gate to a 3-3 record.
But a win in Week 7 could not only kickstart their season, but give San Francisco a huge confidence boost should a February rematch come calling once again.
It’s a huge game that will have every NFL fan glued to their TV, but it’s also far from the only big storyline to keep an eye on this weekend. Here are some other storylines and games to keep an eye on in a juicy Week 7 in the NFL:
New faces in new places
No, the NFL trade deadline was not this week. Despite what it looked like in the news cycle.
This week brought two massive WR trades as former Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams was reunited with Aaron Rodgers in New York, while Amari Cooper left a sinking Cleveland Browns ship to join Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Both the Jets and Bills will be hoping their new additions can spark a lacklustre passing attack.
After Buffalo came flying out of the gate at 3-0, the offence has sputtered the past few weeks. Since Week 4, the Bills are averaging just 6.1 yards per pass attempt.
They still also do not have a receiver who has hit 100 yards in a game this season. Allen loves to spread the ball around, but there have also clearly been times this season where he’s missed having a go-to pass catcher he can trust. Cooper can be just that.
On the Jets side of things, Adams and Rodgers will be looking to rekindle the elite connection they had in Green Bay. The only problem? The two vets don’t have a lot of time to slow play things, as at 2-4, the Jets are already in a massive hole in the AFC playoff race with negative overall vibes surrounding the team.
Rodgers called out WR Mike Williams this week for running the wrong route on a game-sealing interception in Monday night’s loss to the Bills. So despite the short turnaround to get up to speed in the Jets offence, expect Adams to see a lot of work in his first game with New York.
We’ll have to see if it’s enough to save the Jets’ season.
Game of the Week: Lions (4-1) @ Vikings (5-0) — Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
While the Super Bowl rematch will garner a lot of the attention this week, let’s not forget a huge divisional clash between two NFC contenders.
It’s no secret that the NFC North was expected to be a powerhouse division this season. But that was mainly due to the emergence of both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers last season and the Chicago Bears drafting generational rookie Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL Draft.
Yet through six weeks, it’s the Minnesota Vikings who sit atop the division at 5-0 and are one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the league.
The Vikings have shown they can win in multiple ways. Even if QB Sam Darnold has an off game, as he did in Week 5 against the New York Jets, Brian Flores’ defence can step up and do the heavy lifting.
But this was supposed to be the Lions’ year. And even though they are 4-1, they haven’t been the main storyline out of the division this season. That title belongs to the Vikings.
The Lions will surely be out to prove they are still the class of the NFC North on Sunday, and come into the game having scored over 40 points in each of their past two games. But last week’s 47-9 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys came with a heavy price as they lost their elite edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending leg injury.
Will the Lions be able to send a message to the Vikings, or will the loss of Hutchinson prove costly in the heavyweight NFC North showdown?
Forrest’s Favourites (Season record: 8-7 — All odds courtesy of BetMGM):
Lions @ Vikings — Pick: Lions +1.5 (-110): The Lions are surely sick of hearing about the Vikings being the best team in the division. We like them to come out with a statement win.
Eagles @ Giants — Pick: Eagles -3.0 (-110): Eagles RB Saquon Barkley returns to the Meadowlands for the first time in an opposing uniform. The Eagles and Barkley will make the Giants pay for giving up on him.
Texans @ Packers — Pick: Texans +3.0 (-110): In a matchup between two of the league’s young star QBs, we’re riding with C.J. Stroud plus the points.
Thursday, Oct. 17
Denver Broncos 33, New Orleans Saints 10
All times listed are Eastern.
Sunday, Oct. 20
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley), 9:30 a.m.
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m.
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m.
Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m.
New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 21
Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals, 9:00 p.m.
