KC extends Niners’ skid to 3 losses

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

After taking grief for “winning ugly” in their first two games, the Kansas City Chiefs went out and etched a beauty.

Could this bunch be for real?

Dominating in every phase, the Chiefs got three touchdown passes from Matt Cassel and sacked Alex Smith five times Sunday en route to a 31-10 victory over the winless San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs are 3-0 for the first time since 2003.

In just three weeks, Todd Haley’s Chiefs have come up with 30 percent of KC’s combined victory total of the previous 36 months.

“It was a great day for the Chiefs,” linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “Each win, we’re getting more and more confident.”

The offense of the 49ers (0-3), which rolled up 417 yards Monday night against New Orleans, managed only a field goal until the final play from scrimmage.

It’s the second time in three games San Francisco has been dominated, which is sure to cause disquiet among fans who expected the 49ers to contend.

“It is stunning because we have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, especially on offense,” Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis said. “We have speed, we have guys that love to get after it. But like I said, we need an answer.”

Coach Mike Singletary hinted at personnel changes.

“Right now, what we are going to do is get back and look at the film and hold off on making any changes until we look at the film and go from there,” he said. “We will look at the film and see what is there and make decisions accordingly.”

Jamaal Charles rushed for 97 yards for the Chiefs and Thomas Jones added 95, including a 3-yard scoring run that made it 31-3 with 3:27 left.

The 49ers wound up with 251 total yards, which included 53 yards on their final two plays. Linebacker Tamba Hali had three sacks as the rejuvenated defense under first-year coordinator Romeo Crennel harried Alex Smith all day and. Frank Gore rushed for just 43 yards on 15 carries and had 102 yards on nine catches.