Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, the San Francisco 49ers (0-1-0, preseason) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (0-1-0) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The game can be live streamed here. Niners fans can listen to the game on KNBR 680/1050 while Chiefs fans can do the same by turning the dial to KCFX 101.1.
Both teams are coming off preseason-opening losses. The 49ers fell 10-6 to the Denver Broncos last week at home while the Chiefs lost at the hands of the New Orleans Saints 17-10 on the road.
The main storyline heading into this exhibition contest is Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith facing his former team. Smith, who was drafted No.1 overall in 2005 was traded to the Chiefs this past February for a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft as well as a conditional pick in 2014. Smith was made expendable by the emergence of Colin Kaepernick for the 49ers, but will get to try to extract a measure of revenge against his former team tonight.
Smith played in 10 games with San Francisco last season, going 153-for-218 for 1,737 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions before making way for Kaepernick. Kaepernick, who originally took over for Smith due to an injury but eventually won the starting job, played in 13 games in 2013, going 136-for-218 for 1,814 yards with ten touchdowns and three interceptions.
49ers coach Jim Harbaugh recently told ESPN Kaepernick is very driven.
"There's something special there, in terms of what drives him," Harbaugh said to ESPN. "He lives in, I think, one of those worlds where he's motivated for success and for achievement. Not satisfied, no matter how good it is, and I think there's people that come along like that."
The Chiefs enter this season with a lot of changes at the helm. Former head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli have been replaced in favor of GM John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs are looking to bounce back after a lousy 2012 season that saw the team go 2-14-0, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in the NFL while finishing in last place in the AFC West
Kansas City is hoping the trade for Smith will solve their quarterback situation, at least for now. The Chiefs received the first pick in the draft due to how horrid of a season the team had last year, and drafted offensive tackle Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan. It remains to be seen if running back Jamaal Charles will play tonight as he's dealing with a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day.
''He's a special player. Kind of stating the obvious,'' Smith said to Yahoo Sports. ''Jamaal is a special player but we have to find a way. But no question, he'll be missed.''
Meanwhile, the 49ers are looking to bounce back from a heart-breaking 34-31 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens last season. San Francisco is hoping that a more experienced Kaepernick will lead them back to the Super Bowl again this season. The Niners added wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who had 65 receptions for 921 yards and four touchdowns with Baltimore last season to an already explosive offense that includes Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. It'll be interesting to see if Nnamdi Asomugha will be able to crack the team after recent controversy over him having inconsistent practices.
It'll be an interesting storyline when Smith looks to defeat his old team while Kaepernick tries to show the world why he took Smith's job in the first place tonight.
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