October 16, 2024 • 11 mins
Matt Barrows from The Athletic joins 1st & 10 to share insight from the 49ers latest practice day, highlight the importance of a win and discuss the team's preparations for their Week 7 matchup vs. Kansas City.
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Hello, and welcome to the forty nine Ers First and
ten Podcast, presented by Cisco. Ten minutes of the most
up to date forty nine Ers news, first thing in
the morning. I'm your host Rihanna McDonald and joining me
is forty Niners team reporter Lindsay Polares and special guest
Matt Barrows from the Athletic Matt, thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
All right, the forty nine ers had a bonus practice
on Monday and are getting right back at it today. Lindsay,
how are the forty nine ers using their last win
as motivation and fuel to get them through this upcoming
contest against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I think it's a little bit less about motivation,
but keeping that momentum going right. It was ended up
being a pretty commanding win in Seattle, a big NFC
West win. Now you look at those NFC West standings,
the forty nine ers are right on top and they're
in control of their own destiny for the time being.
Obviously a very important matchup coming up. I think more so,
(01:12):
like I mentioned, just to get the ball rolling in
the right direction as the forty nine Ers are headed
towards that Week nine, by always better to have a
winning record headed into the break than breaking even or
falling under five hundred. So I think it's just about
continuing the path in a positive direction. I think obviously
a resounding win against the division rival always gives you
(01:34):
that little bit of extra juice, and Seattle has been
a very good place for the forty nine Ers over
the last three seasons.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, Matt, the Chiefs aren't just undefeated the season, they're
also undefeated against the Niners. What do you think it'll
take for the forty nine Ers to finally secure a
win against Kansas City? And what would a win mean
for this team, especially at this point in the season.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, I mean it would be big. I remember Lash year.
I think a lot of forty nine Ers circled that
Eagles game as sort of the I called it the
regular season super Bowl, and then they won that super
Bowl handily, And this is sort of the same thing.
I don't actually think it's quite There were so many
(02:17):
layers to the to the Eagles game, a lot of
kind of personal stuff too in that one. I don't
think that that is quite here. But I mean Nick
Bosa said it at the end of the Seahawks game.
It's a team that the forty nine ers haven't beaten
since he arrived in twenty nineteen. And actually, you know,
you go back even a year earlier than that, twenty eighteen.
(02:41):
It was the Week three loss in Kansas City where
Jimmy Garoppolo toward his ACL So it hasn't just been losses.
These have been devastating losses. Four in a row to
the Chiefs too in the Super Bowl, to in the
regular season, one in which you know, they lost their
starting quarterback for the year, or another they just got
(03:01):
blown out. That was Christian McCaffrey's first game in twenty
twenty two. So yeah, there'd be a lot of demons
being exercised if they beat the Chiefs on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So Fred Warner recently emphasized on a can Be R
radio show the need to prove that they can win
against great teams. How do you see this motivation influencing
their performance on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, I think it's kind of like what Matt said.
It does feel like that regular season game that you've
got circled on the calendar, even though they're all important.
I think the forty nine Ers are still very much
again finding their identity in twenty twenty four. This certainly
would be a morale boost, and like Matt mentioned, so
(03:47):
many layers over the course of not just the recent
few seasons, but this is extending out to twenty eighteen.
You know, obviously hard not to mention that loss in
February in the Super but it's also important to keep
in mind that these are two very different teams. There's
a lot of players that are not in the mix
(04:08):
this time around. You don't have the Christian McCaffrey for
the Niners right now, Jordan Mason in question with that
ac shoulder joint spray, and then on the Kansas City side,
you don't have Isaiah Pacheco, you don't have Rashie Rice.
You know, there's a lot of different things at play,
but yes, getting a win in this obviously would just
(04:29):
help solidify that forty nine Ers identity. Get that big
win against obviously an undefeated, very formidable opponent that has
caused them trouble in recent history, a little bit more
extended history. So yeah, I think this would be a
good statement win for this team.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, two different teams are facing off in twenty twenty four,
But the Niners kind of know what to expect the
Chiefs offense, an elite connection between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelcey,
an efficient run game. Still, the Niners defense is absolutely
going to have to show up on Sunday. So, Matt,
what sort of steps do you think San Francisco's defense
is taking in order to be ready for a dynamic
(05:07):
offense like Kansas City's.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No last year. One of the areas where the forty
nine ers struggled throughout the season, including in the Super Bowl,
was finding that third cornerback. You know, they went through
a lot of iterations of that cornerback group and it
came back to bite them at the at the very
end there. I think that's an area where this team
has really improved. You've got three good ones no matter what.
(05:34):
And so the question now is whether the third guy
is is the veteran Isaac Gadam, who I thought has
played really well in the last two games, and then
the alternative is Ronaldo Green, who I thought had the
play of the game in Seattle, might even be the
play of the season at this point, that's how important
(05:55):
that win was on Thursday. So they've got more options
in their defensive secondary. That's a little bit. You know.
The flip side is that there are some injuries at
safety right now and the forty nine ers have to
sort through that. We're not sure if Malick Mustafa is
going to play because of the ankle injury. He was
not part of that Monday bonus practice. So but I
(06:19):
do think that that secondary, especially the cornerbacks, are are
better than they were a year ago. We saw Tarvarius
Ward taking part on Monday. I know that he would
love to, you know, exact some measure of revenge against
the Chiefs. He's looking to sort of bounce back, I
think from a couple of rough games where he was
(06:42):
dealing with an injury. So you know, that's all sort
of the backdrop, the background going into this game.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, Lindy, tell us a little bit more. How do
you assess the overall health of the forty nine ers
as they prepare for this game?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, it feels like we talk about bub spruises with
new injuries just coming onto that list every week. I
think the forty nine ers made some practice squad moves
in order to insulate themselves from some that might come
into play. I think one of the more important ones
was signing a kicker on Tuesday, Anders Carlson, just in
(07:18):
case matthew Wright, who dislocated his shoulder, isn't good to
go by Sunday's game. Then you've got, like we mentioned,
Malik Mustafa dealing with a lower ankle sprain. Then you've
got Jordan Mason that also might not be available. However,
I think it's a positive sign. He was in a blue,
non contact a jersey on Monday, So there are a
(07:38):
few things that are going to be coming into play
a wait and see situations. Matt just mentioned also Tarvarius Ward,
who would be an amazing person to have. I think
he was a game time decision in Seattle. It looks
like he's trending in the right direction. I think we'll
know more as the forty nine ers opened up their
true practice week, which happens later today.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Matt tickets to the Chiefs sideline. What's this state of
Kansas City like right now? And how are they looking
entering week seven?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I mean, they look good. They look like the Chiefs.
They're not quite as prolific on offense as they've been
in the past. They have issues at wide receiver. Anytime
you're hearing about a wide receiver being traded or possibly moving,
the Chiefs are always one of the teams that come up. Boy,
(08:25):
the Chiefs could really use a wide receiver. Wouldn't you
like to play for or play with Patrick Mahomes. So
they've struggled, I guess I'll put that in quotation marks,
because you know it's hard to say that a team
with their record has struggled. But yeah, there have been
a lot of guys in and out of the lineup.
They've they've had injuries at tailback, they're working in, you know,
(08:48):
different guys there. So you know, this is a an
opportunity I think for the forty nine Ers to jump
on a Kansas City team that might not be as
powerful as it's been in the past. With the Chiefs, though,
you have to be winning by a fairly wide margin
going into that fourth quarter in order to feel, you know,
(09:12):
comfortable about a victory. The forty nine Ers have obviously
found that out the hard way. So that's that's gonna
be the question I think in this game. The forty
nine Ers m this year has been to build a big,
sizable lead at halftime and then they tend to watch
it disappear in the second half, and that that's what
(09:32):
the difference was. That's why that Ronaldo Green interception was
so important. That sort of stopped that that trend. And
so the question will be whether the forty nine ers
can do that against a much better opponent, a much
better quarterback, and a guy who's made his reputation on
those types of fourth quarter comebacks.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah. Well, Matt, finally, as we close out this podcast,
what do you think will be the biggest factor in
determine the outcome of this game? Is it that second
half performance or is it something else?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I mean, I think it's what Lindsey was talking about
with Jordan Mason. Where is that shoulder? You know, the
big difference between last year and this year for the
forty nine ers is no Christian McCaffrey, but they do
have Jordan Mason, and it gives the forty nine ers
a different personality. And I just wonder whether they become
(10:27):
just determined to run the ball down the chief's throat
and just have a very physical game. And you can
do that with Jordan Mason, but it has to be
a healthy Jordan Mason. So it would be a great
way to keep the ball out of Travis Kelsey's hands,
out of Patrick Mahomes' hands, just kind of control the game,
control the clock, be in control, which is what they
(10:50):
failed to do at the end of the Super Bowl games.
But with a guy like Mason, you can you can
do that. So it'll be interesting. We're recording this on
Wednesday morning. Lundcy and I will be at the practice
Wednesday afternoon, and it'll be interesting to see whether Jordan
Mason is there and whether he's still in that blue
(11:10):
no contact jersey he was in on Monday.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
There's going to be a lot to look out for
as we get ready for Sunday's game at Levi Stadium.
But Matt, thank you so much for joining us today,
Faithful that we'll do it. Subscribe to First and ten
presented by Cisco for more forty nine ers updates, and
turn on the notifications for any breaking news Move the
Chains episodes. Thanks for tuning in.
Hello, and welcome to the forty nine Ers First and
ten Podcast, presented by Cisco. Ten minutes of the most
up to date forty nine Ers news, first thing in
the morning. I'm your host Rihanna McDonald and joining me
is forty Niners team reporter Lindsay Polares and special guest
Matt Barrows from the Athletic Matt, thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
All right, the forty nine ers had a bonus practice
on Monday and are getting right back at it today. Lindsay,
how are the forty nine ers using their last win
as motivation and fuel to get them through this upcoming
contest against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I think it's a little bit less about motivation,
but keeping that momentum going right. It was ended up
being a pretty commanding win in Seattle, a big NFC
West win. Now you look at those NFC West standings,
the forty nine ers are right on top and they're
in control of their own destiny for the time being.
Obviously a very important matchup coming up. I think more so,
(01:12):
like I mentioned, just to get the ball rolling in
the right direction as the forty nine Ers are headed
towards that Week nine, by always better to have a
winning record headed into the break than breaking even or
falling under five hundred. So I think it's just about
continuing the path in a positive direction. I think obviously
a resounding win against the division rival always gives you
(01:34):
that little bit of extra juice, and Seattle has been
a very good place for the forty nine Ers over
the last three seasons.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, Matt, the Chiefs aren't just undefeated the season, they're
also undefeated against the Niners. What do you think it'll
take for the forty nine Ers to finally secure a
win against Kansas City? And what would a win mean
for this team, especially at this point in the season.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, I mean it would be big. I remember Lash year.
I think a lot of forty nine Ers circled that
Eagles game as sort of the I called it the
regular season super Bowl, and then they won that super
Bowl handily, And this is sort of the same thing.
I don't actually think it's quite There were so many
(02:17):
layers to the to the Eagles game, a lot of
kind of personal stuff too in that one. I don't
think that that is quite here. But I mean Nick
Bosa said it at the end of the Seahawks game.
It's a team that the forty nine ers haven't beaten
since he arrived in twenty nineteen. And actually, you know,
you go back even a year earlier than that, twenty eighteen.
(02:41):
It was the Week three loss in Kansas City where
Jimmy Garoppolo toward his ACL So it hasn't just been losses.
These have been devastating losses. Four in a row to
the Chiefs too in the Super Bowl, to in the
regular season, one in which you know, they lost their
starting quarterback for the year, or another they just got
(03:01):
blown out. That was Christian McCaffrey's first game in twenty
twenty two. So yeah, there'd be a lot of demons
being exercised if they beat the Chiefs on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So Fred Warner recently emphasized on a can Be R
radio show the need to prove that they can win
against great teams. How do you see this motivation influencing
their performance on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, I think it's kind of like what Matt said.
It does feel like that regular season game that you've
got circled on the calendar, even though they're all important.
I think the forty nine Ers are still very much
again finding their identity in twenty twenty four. This certainly
would be a morale boost, and like Matt mentioned, so
(03:47):
many layers over the course of not just the recent
few seasons, but this is extending out to twenty eighteen.
You know, obviously hard not to mention that loss in
February in the Super but it's also important to keep
in mind that these are two very different teams. There's
a lot of players that are not in the mix
(04:08):
this time around. You don't have the Christian McCaffrey for
the Niners right now, Jordan Mason in question with that
ac shoulder joint spray, and then on the Kansas City side,
you don't have Isaiah Pacheco, you don't have Rashie Rice.
You know, there's a lot of different things at play,
but yes, getting a win in this obviously would just
(04:29):
help solidify that forty nine Ers identity. Get that big
win against obviously an undefeated, very formidable opponent that has
caused them trouble in recent history, a little bit more
extended history. So yeah, I think this would be a
good statement win for this team.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, two different teams are facing off in twenty twenty four,
But the Niners kind of know what to expect the
Chiefs offense, an elite connection between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelcey,
an efficient run game. Still, the Niners defense is absolutely
going to have to show up on Sunday. So, Matt,
what sort of steps do you think San Francisco's defense
is taking in order to be ready for a dynamic
(05:07):
offense like Kansas City's.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No last year. One of the areas where the forty
nine ers struggled throughout the season, including in the Super Bowl,
was finding that third cornerback. You know, they went through
a lot of iterations of that cornerback group and it
came back to bite them at the at the very
end there. I think that's an area where this team
has really improved. You've got three good ones no matter what.
(05:34):
And so the question now is whether the third guy
is is the veteran Isaac Gadam, who I thought has
played really well in the last two games, and then
the alternative is Ronaldo Green, who I thought had the
play of the game in Seattle, might even be the
play of the season at this point, that's how important
(05:55):
that win was on Thursday. So they've got more options
in their defensive secondary. That's a little bit. You know.
The flip side is that there are some injuries at
safety right now and the forty nine ers have to
sort through that. We're not sure if Malick Mustafa is
going to play because of the ankle injury. He was
not part of that Monday bonus practice. So but I
(06:19):
do think that that secondary, especially the cornerbacks, are are
better than they were a year ago. We saw Tarvarius
Ward taking part on Monday. I know that he would
love to, you know, exact some measure of revenge against
the Chiefs. He's looking to sort of bounce back, I
think from a couple of rough games where he was
(06:42):
dealing with an injury. So you know, that's all sort
of the backdrop, the background going into this game.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, Lindy, tell us a little bit more. How do
you assess the overall health of the forty nine ers
as they prepare for this game?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, it feels like we talk about bub spruises with
new injuries just coming onto that list every week. I
think the forty nine ers made some practice squad moves
in order to insulate themselves from some that might come
into play. I think one of the more important ones
was signing a kicker on Tuesday, Anders Carlson, just in
(07:18):
case matthew Wright, who dislocated his shoulder, isn't good to
go by Sunday's game. Then you've got, like we mentioned,
Malik Mustafa dealing with a lower ankle sprain. Then you've
got Jordan Mason that also might not be available. However,
I think it's a positive sign. He was in a blue,
non contact a jersey on Monday, So there are a
(07:38):
few things that are going to be coming into play
a wait and see situations. Matt just mentioned also Tarvarius Ward,
who would be an amazing person to have. I think
he was a game time decision in Seattle. It looks
like he's trending in the right direction. I think we'll
know more as the forty nine ers opened up their
true practice week, which happens later today.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Matt tickets to the Chiefs sideline. What's this state of
Kansas City like right now? And how are they looking
entering week seven?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I mean, they look good. They look like the Chiefs.
They're not quite as prolific on offense as they've been
in the past. They have issues at wide receiver. Anytime
you're hearing about a wide receiver being traded or possibly moving,
the Chiefs are always one of the teams that come up. Boy,
(08:25):
the Chiefs could really use a wide receiver. Wouldn't you
like to play for or play with Patrick Mahomes. So
they've struggled, I guess I'll put that in quotation marks,
because you know it's hard to say that a team
with their record has struggled. But yeah, there have been
a lot of guys in and out of the lineup.
They've they've had injuries at tailback, they're working in, you know,
(08:48):
different guys there. So you know, this is a an
opportunity I think for the forty nine Ers to jump
on a Kansas City team that might not be as
powerful as it's been in the past. With the Chiefs, though,
you have to be winning by a fairly wide margin
going into that fourth quarter in order to feel, you know,
(09:12):
comfortable about a victory. The forty nine Ers have obviously
found that out the hard way. So that's that's gonna
be the question I think in this game. The forty
nine Ers m this year has been to build a big,
sizable lead at halftime and then they tend to watch
it disappear in the second half, and that that's what
(09:32):
the difference was. That's why that Ronaldo Green interception was
so important. That sort of stopped that that trend. And
so the question will be whether the forty nine ers
can do that against a much better opponent, a much
better quarterback, and a guy who's made his reputation on
those types of fourth quarter comebacks.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah. Well, Matt, finally, as we close out this podcast,
what do you think will be the biggest factor in
determine the outcome of this game? Is it that second
half performance or is it something else?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I mean, I think it's what Lindsey was talking about
with Jordan Mason. Where is that shoulder? You know, the
big difference between last year and this year for the
forty nine ers is no Christian McCaffrey, but they do
have Jordan Mason, and it gives the forty nine ers
a different personality. And I just wonder whether they become
(10:27):
just determined to run the ball down the chief's throat
and just have a very physical game. And you can
do that with Jordan Mason, but it has to be
a healthy Jordan Mason. So it would be a great
way to keep the ball out of Travis Kelsey's hands,
out of Patrick Mahomes' hands, just kind of control the game,
control the clock, be in control, which is what they
(10:50):
failed to do at the end of the Super Bowl games.
But with a guy like Mason, you can you can
do that. So it'll be interesting. We're recording this on
Wednesday morning. Lundcy and I will be at the practice
Wednesday afternoon, and it'll be interesting to see whether Jordan
Mason is there and whether he's still in that blue
(11:10):
no contact jersey he was in on Monday.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
There's going to be a lot to look out for
as we get ready for Sunday's game at Levi Stadium.
But Matt, thank you so much for joining us today,
Faithful that we'll do it. Subscribe to First and ten
presented by Cisco for more forty nine ers updates, and
turn on the notifications for any breaking news Move the
Chains episodes. Thanks for tuning in.
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