Jerick McKinnon Keys Kansas City Chiefs Victory Against Former Team In Super Bowl LIV Rematch

Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs was billed as a Super Bowl LIV revenge game for the San Francisco 49ers.

But it also represented a grudge match for Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon.

“Man, you know it did,” McKinnon exclusively shared. “Anytime you get to compete against your former teammates, it’s always something special.”

McKinnon spent three seasons with the 49ers after signing a four-year, $30 million contract with them. He is now in a contract year after signing the second of back-to-back one-year deals with the Chiefs, totaling $2.15 million.

During the Chiefs’ 44-23 win, McKinnon had the back-breaking play late in the third quarter.

Facing a 3rd and 20 from 49ers’ 38-yard-line, the Chiefs ran a screen. As soon as the play call came in, McKinnon knew it would be a huge gain, telling himself, “it’s about to hit,”

The screen went 34 yards, and McKinnon ran behind a convoy to the 49ers’ four-yard-line.

“It opened like the Red Sea,” McKinnon said.

The 49ers tried to keep everything in front, and Nick Bosa went inside, and McKinnon went outside, and each member of the left side of the Chiefs offensive line found a 49ers defender to take out.

“It was a great call. We were able to use Bosa’s aggressiveness against them,” McKinnon said. “It was a great, executed play, man. The O-line got out front, man. They were working like dogs.”

After injuring his knee a second time during the 2019 season, McKinnon was not on the active roster but was at the Super Bowl.

Both teams have several players from that Chiefs’ 31-20 victory.

The Chiefs still have 13 players, including injured Blake Bell, on their roster. Patrick Mahomes, Andrew Wylie, Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman started on offense, and Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Frank Clark started on defense.

Special teamers Harrison Butker and James Winchester and backups Nick Allegretti and Khalen Saunders and current practice squader Austin Reiter also played in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers have 20 players from that squad, though some are now injured, led by current offensive starters Jimmy Garoppolo, Mike McGlinchey, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, Jeff Wilson and three current defensive starters Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.

“They’ve stayed together,” Mahomes said.

McKinnon noted there was plenty of trash during the game, but none of it he heard referred to that game.

During the week 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that Super Bowl loss would not add more motivation.

Though he emphasized to the media he had a completely different team this year, he did watch film of Super Bowl LIV this week.

“I hadn’t watched it for a while,” Shanahan said. “(I) had to this week for schematic reasons.”

The 49ers, who were victimized by famous WASP play on 3rd and 15 in the Super Bowl, were torched on both 3rd and 20 and 3rd and 11 plays.

On the 3rd and 11 with 12:54 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had the ball on their own 19. But Mahomes hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who beat former Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward for 57 yards.

Both third-and-long plays were symbolic of how the Chiefs, who entered the game with the No. 1 offense in points scored (29.8) demolished a 49ers defense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in yards allowed (255.8).

On paper it looked like a classic; instead, it was a drubbing.

“It was a great show for the offense today,” McKinnon said.

The Chiefs won by three touchdowns even after spotting the 49ers 10 points in the first quarter.

“We beat their a – – in their stadium,” said Frank Clark, who had 1.5 sacks on Sunday and also sacked Garoppolo with 1:33 left in Super Bowl LIV.

After the Chiefs demolished the 49ers, McKinnon exchanged pleasantries with several of his former teammates, including Juszczyk, Trent Williams and Warner. They told him to “keep pounding” and stay healthy.

“It was a great atmosphere to come back (to),” McKinnon said. “Hopefully, we see those guys again.”