Very little can dampen the enthusiasm Kansas City Chiefs fans feel for the home opener Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.After all, the Chiefs won back-to-back road games to begin the season behind a first-year starting quarterback who quickly established himself as the NFL’s hottest threat.”I understand the excitement. I got it,” conceded Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. “I mean everybody is excited. The reality is he’s been out there for two games and he’s heading for Game 3 and we’re just trying to get ready to play against a good football team.”Maybe so, but it appears no record is safe with young quarterback Patrick Mahomes slinging the football as Kansas City (2-0) prepares for a visit from the San Francisco 49ers (1-1).Mahomes’ 10 touchdown passes represent an NFL record through two games. He is coming off a six-touchdown performance at Pittsburgh, which tied a team record held by Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson. The Kansas City club record of 30 touchdown passes in a season was set by Dawson in 1964.After apprenticing as a rookie last season behind former Niners quarterback Alex Smith, Mahomes provides a more upbeat dimension. While Smith was good as the Chiefs starter, guiding them to back-to-back AFC West titles the past two seasons, he went just 1-4 as a playoff participant.Of course, Mahomes has not yet had a postseason opportunity. Frankly, the playoffs are a long way off. However, Mahomes was named AFC offensive player of the week each of the first two weeks. Tom Brady was last to do that, in 2011.”To get it one time and then get it another time, it speaks to the offense and the team that we have,” said Mahomes, who turned 23 on Monday. “I am just going out there and doing my job and I am putting in those guys’ hands and they are making plays.”The 49ers can at least counter with a shutdown cornerback, Richard Sherman.However, Mahomes has been adept at distributing the football to different targets and likely could look for any receiver covered by the 49ers’ other corner, Ahkello Witherspoon. The second-year pro was targeted 13 times in a victory last week over Detroit, allowing eight receptions and two touchdowns.No matter what damage Mahomes inflicts, the possibility exists for the 49ers to engage in a shootout.The Chiefs’ defense ranks last in the NFL in yards allowed on average (508.0) and 29th in scoring (32.5).San Francisco attempts to balance its attack behind running back Matt Breida, who leads the NFL in rushing with 184 yards in two games.”I always had a chip on my shoulder coming out of college,” said Breida, who went undrafted in 2017 out of Georgia Southern. “I didn’t hear my name called so for me, it gave me even more push and more grind to do better and make it in the NFL.”Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked six times by Detroit and completed 18 of 26 passes with 206 yards and two touchdowns.”We just didn’t get enough production,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said of his team’s passing deficiencies.Garoppolo threw three interceptions in a season-opening loss at Minnesota.
