Position by Position Breakdown: The 49ers have the advantage at…Quarterback?…. See More Breaking News:

Sunday’s rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs is a big game for obvious reasons, but the 49ers have to remain at the top of the NFC West and solidify their playoff positioning in the NFC following their first NFC win against Seattle on Thursday. Trent Williams laid it out perfectly by saying the team doesn’t get a Super Bowl win back by beating the Chiefs on Sunday. However, the team needs to show Kansas City they can slay the beast, and this isn’t a foregone conclusion.

But how do the 49ers and Chiefs stack up after six weeks of football, including the level of play and injuries? The Chiefs are undefeated at 5-0, while the 49ers are at 3-3.

Quarterback

Patrick Mahomes – 111/160, 69.4%, 1,235 yards, 7.7 YPA, 6 TD, 6 INT

Brock Purdy – 121/185, 65.4%, 1,632 yards, 8.8 YPA, 9 TD, 4 INT

Let me get this out of the way. Purdy has played better football through six weeks. That’s not really up for debate. While Purdy gets criticized for having “too much help” on offense, Mahomes gets a pity party thrown for him as soon as Rashee Rice gets injured for the season. So which is it? Do players need help or not?

The Chiefs have become the team passing-wise that Purdy and the 49ers are baselessly accused of being. Throws behind the line of scrimmage and quick throws that lead to YAC are the Chiefs’ brand of football for the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the 49ers push the football down the field for explosive plays.

Purdy has completed a league-high 1,057 air yards out of 1,710 intended air yards, which accounts for 64.6% of his total passing yards. Mahomes is behind Gardner Minshew, Andy Dalton, and Deshaun Watson with 419 completed air yards out of 816, which accounts for 33.9% of his total passing yards.

Sunday isn’t the Super Bowl. It’s fairly easy to see the advantage at quarterback goes to Purdy. Ask me again if the two teams meet in New Orleans, but Sunday is an easy choice.

Advantage: 49ers

Running Back

Kareem Hunt – 41 rushes, 172 yards, 4.2 YPA, 1 TD, 102 yards after contact

Jordan Mason – 114 rushes, 606 yards, 5.3 YPA, 3 TD, 394 yards after contact

Following the injury to the Chiefs’ leading rusher, Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City had to pivot quickly to preseason star Carson Steele as the team’s primary early down back. Semaje Perine is the team’s third-down, pass-catching back. An old friend has returned and taken over as the team’s RB1 in Kareem Hunt. Reliable, safe, and understands the system that gave him his start in the NFL.

Jordan Mason has emerged as the most important weapon on the 49ers offense. Yes, Purdy is the most important, but he’s the quarterback, and if this team can’t run the football, it could be a recipe for disaster for the 49ers. No quarterback should drop back 40-45 times and expect success. Mason is dealing with an AC sprain in his shoulder, but there is optimism for his availability on Sunday.

Advantage: 49ers (if Mason plays)

Pass Catchers

Travis Kelce – 24 receptions, 32 targets, 228 yards, 9.5 yards per reception

Rashee Rice – 24 receptions, 29 targets, 288 yards, 12.0 yards per reception, 2 TD

Xavier Worthy – 12 receptions, 19 targets, 179 yards, 14.9 yards per reception, 2 TD

Juju Smith-Schuster – 9 receptions, 12 targets, 147 yards, 16.3 yards per reception, 1 TD

49ers:

George Kittle – 28 receptions, 35 targets, 283 yards, 10.1 yards per reception, 5 TD

Jauan Jennings – 25 receptions, 36 targets, 404 yards, 16.2 yards per reception, 3 TD

Brandon Aiyuk – 23 receptions, 39 targets, 351 yards, 15.3 yards per reception

Deebo Samuel – 20 receptions, 32 targets, 335 yards, 16.8 yards per reception, 1 TD

I included Rice in this discussion to show how much Mahomes relied on Rice when he was available. Now, the Chiefs are piecing their receiving core together by adding in old friend Juju Smith-Schuster and hoping Xavier Worthy can turn into a reliable receiving option with his game-breaking speed. Kelce has lost a step, and the added attention to him in the passing game with the lack of Chiefs weapons isn’t helping him.

On the other hand, George Kittle has had a magnificent start to his season despite missing a game due to injury. Kittle is still the best tight end in football. Jauan Jennings’s output has tapered off a bit with the returns of Kittle and Deebo Samuel, but it is as reliable as it gets and possibly could have won Super Bowl MVP in Las Vegas. Samuel is still as explosive as ever following his 76-yard touchdown on Thursday, which reached a top speed of 20.90 MPH, his fastest speed since Week 14 in 2019.

Advantage: 49ers

Offensive Line

Wanya Morris – 1 sack allowed, 3 QB hits, four hurries, eight pressures

Joe Thuney – 6 hurries, six pressures

Creed Humphrey – 2 QB hits, a hurry, three pressures

Trey Smith – 1 QB hit, nine hurries, ten pressures

Jawaan Taylor – 1 sack, 2 QB hits, six hurries, nine pressures

49ers:

Trent Williams – 1 sack allowed, 2 QB hits, nine hurries, 12 pressures

Aaron Banks – 1 sack allowed, 2 QB hits, 12 hurries, 15 pressures

Jake Brendel – 1 QB hit, ten hurries, 11 pressures

Dominick Puni – 11 hurries, 11 pressures

Colton McKivitz – 1 sack allowed, five QB hits, 11 hurries, 17 pressures

The quick game for the Chiefs has kept Mahomes out of harm’s way, combined with the quality of line play Kansas City has built. The Chiefs benched Kingsley Suamataia for Wanya Morris after Suamataia accounted for two of the five sacks allowed on the season in his limited time.

The 49ers line has improved, but even with Trent Williams returning, who hasn’t played as flawless as in past years, isn’t better than Kansas City’s unit. The Chiefs will throw blitzes at the 49ers, and the key will be Dominick Puni’s ability to diagnose and communicate on stunts and blitzes with Colton McKivitz.