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chiefStats: Five stats that could determine the Chiefs’ game against 49ers Welcome back to chiefStats — the place where I toss a few stats out into the ethos for Kansas City Chiefs fans to absorb before the game. I am hoping this article can work its way into Chiefs fans pregame ritual.Last week we talked about the Steelers having difficulty with top five points per game offenses Kansas City Chiefs Hats , and it came to fruition when Pittsburgh couldn’t keep up with the Chiefs high powered offense.Now our focus turns towards the 49ers, and below are five topics which could alter the outcome of the game.1. 49ers sacks allowedWe’ll start our analysis with a nice little Tweet:For reference, the worst pass protection team in 2017 (the Colts) gave up a sack percentage of 10.3 percent.The Chiefs defense has been very inept at sacking the quarterback to start the 2018 season, tallying only two sacks. So far in 2018, the Chiefs have a miserable sack percentage of 1.8 percent; only the Giants have been worse (1.7 percent).All that said, I’m not ready to throw in the towel on the Chiefs pass rush. Perhaps one reason for the Chiefs low sack totals is that the Steelers and Chargers are just good at protecting the QB. In 2017, the Chargers finished first in the NFL in sack percentage (3.0 percent), and the Steelers finished third (3.9 percent).On Sunday against the 49ers, we should have a better idea of what the Chiefs pass rush is capable of.2. 49ers running gameThis is the 49ers’ strength. The 49ers have the second-best yards per rushing attempt average in the NFL so far in the young season.Matt Breida is leading the charge for the 49ers with 184 rushing yards on only 22 attempts — that’s an average of 8.4 yards per attempt. Breida should provide a good test for the Chiefs run defense.I’m very curious to see how the Chiefs fare against the 49ers running game. I believe the Chiefs strength on defense is their ability to stop the run. Sunday should prove to be a good test on the defensive side of the ball.If the 49ers get into a shootout with the Chiefs it could spell major problems for their offense if they have to abandon the run.3. It’s been a while...Remember last week when it had been a long time since the Chiefs had beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh? Well, the same could be said about the 49ers playing in Kansas City.Cool story — the Chiefs haven’t lost at home to the 49ers in my lifetime... hopefully it stays that way.Of course, I missed an important piece of information when crafting the Tweet above:Ahhhh yes, there we go, now the facts are complete.4. QB PlayGaroppolo has not played up to the hype in 2018 amassing the following stats:55.9 Cmp% Kansas City Chiefs Hoodie , 467 yards, 7.9 Y/A3 TD, 3 INT, 77.4 QB RatingContrast this with what Mahomes is doing:69.1 Cmp%, 582 yards, 10.6 Y/A10 TD, 0 INT, 143.3 QB RatingAs you can see, there is a massive disparity in quarterback play between the two. Obviously, the Chiefs defense hasn’t been on par with the ones Garoppolo has faced (Vikings, Lions), but Mahomes hasn’t had a cakewalk either. Both the Steelers and Chargers should have good defenses when everything is said and done in 2018.The last thing the 49ers want to do is get into a shootout with the Chiefs. If the start of the season has anything to do with how the rest of the year will go, the 49ers will lose the game if Garoppolo is asked to keep up with Mahomes.So if I’m the Chiefs Customized Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , my goal is to be aggressive and score early.5. TurnoversThe 49ers have started the season with a bit of a turnover bug, coughing up four turnovers while only generating two of their own.If the 49ers were to continue to give up turnovers at this same pace, they would give up 32 on the entire season which would have been the third-worst mark in 2017. The 49ers are also on pace to have a minus-32 turnover differential in 2018 — this would have been the worst in the NFL in 2017.Obviously the 49ers are unlikely to finish the season at the same pace of allowing turnovers, but it bodes well for a Chiefs defense which has struggled to make splash plays so far in 2018.The Chiefs defense is currently sitting at two turnovers forced on the season. If the Chiefs want to adjust their defensive game plan to include more risk, in hopes to get more turnovers, this week against the 49ers the week to do it.So to summarize, the keys to the game are:Chiefs need to take advantage of the 49ers poor pass protection at the start of the season.Who’s going to win the running game battle? Will the Chiefs improved front be able to stop Breida and Morris?Will the 49ers continue to lose in Kansas City?The Chiefs should be heavily favored due to Mahomes’ play being significantly better than Garoppolo’s thus far.The Chiefs defense needs to play a ball-hawk style, and try to generate turnovers. One聽of the NFL’s most intense rivalries has turned sour.When the Chiefs visit the Raiders in a series that dates back to the AFL and has been as good as any in pro football, the oddsmakers see Oakland (2-9) getting routed 鈥?at home 鈥?by Kansas City. Most of America sees it that way, too.“I know this, when it comes to Chiefs and Raiders, it doesn’t matter records,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid www.authenticskansascitychiefs.com , whose team is 9-2. “It’s one of those deals and you better come ready to play against a Jon Gruden-coached football team. That’s the way I am approaching it with the guys right now. I just think that’s very important.”More from FOX Sports Kansas CityChiefs’ Lucas, Ward emerge as stars on suddenly stingy defenseMizzou falls to 0-2 in SEC with 85-75 loss to South CarolinaChiefs’ Xavier Williams of KC understands significance of playoff win better than mostSince the Raiders moved from Los Angeles back to Oakland in 1995, there’s been only one season when both clubs had winning records (2016). The rivalry has been less heated since Marty Schottenheimer left as Kansas City coach in 1998 and Raiders owner Al Davis died in 2011. But this gap in success is ridiculous.While the Raiders are going nowhere, the Chiefs could lock up a playoff spot in Oakland.It’s a bit complicated, but a Chiefs win and losses by Miami, Tennessee, Houston, Indianapolis, Baltimore and Cincinnati in certain combinations hand Kansas City a playoff berth. Not that anyone doubts one is coming.The Chiefs, who had their bye after losing to the Rams in a classic game in Week 11, have won six of the last seven in the Raiders series. In addition, Reid’s teams are 16-3 coming off a bye.Here’s a weird stat: Oakland stands fifth in the NFL with 34 points on opening drives. But it is third worst with 1.32 points per drive after that.