San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs 8/14/21 NFL Picks, Odds, Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers meet the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday in week 1 NFL preseason action from Levi’s Stadium. This will be the first on-field activity for both teams this year. The Chiefs are coming off a 14-2 record last year and a first-place division finish. Kansas City ultimately fell to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, however. As for the 49ers, they went a disappointing 6-10 last season, finishing at the bottom of their division. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Kansas City qualified for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season last year, notching a 14-2 mark and a first-place finish in the AFC West. They’ve also won the division for five straight years and led the league in victories during 2020. 

The Chiefs posted a tense 22-17 win over the Browns in the Divisional Playoffs, then took care of a pesky Bills team 38-24 in an exciting AFC Championship game. Kansas City’s run came to an end in the Super Bowl however, as they fell 31-9 to a very good Buccaneers squad. 

Over on the 49ers’ side, 2020 was a forgettable year. San Francisco went just 6-10 last season, which left them in fourth place in the NFC West and out of the playoffs. It was an abrupt about-face after a 13-3 season and Super Bowl berth in 2019. 

The 2021 season will be the 49ers’ fifth year under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The team has a handful of new faces on offense to sift through this preseason, including Mohamed Sanu, Marqise Lee, Trent Sherfield and Wayne Gallman. 

The Chiefs are 10-1-1 ATS in the last 12 as a road underdog and 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 as an underdog. Kansas City is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 overall and 1-9 ATS in their last 10 on grass. 

Meanwhile, the 49ers are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 Saturday games and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 on grass. San Francisco is 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games and 5-20-1 ATS in the last 26 as a home favorite. 

PICK: I’m going to try the 49ers. Most of the preseason games this week are pretty much coin-flip matchups, as we’ll be seeing a lot of bubble players and rookies on the field trying to get a handle on things. That said, San Francisco has some intriguing and notable names further down their roster, some with a decent amount of NFL experience. If those guys can acclimate themselves to the 49ers’ system in a hurry, I can see the team having success in this first preseason outing. Should be a fun matchup.