As is often the case for visiting teams playing the San Francisco 49ers in the first few months of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs had to deal with the heat during Week 7’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. That’s easier said than done, as the visiting sideline has little to no shade.
And as Erin Andrews reported in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs found a unique — yet effective — way to keep their players out of the sun. Well, some of the players anyway.
“It was supposed to be about 84 degrees. I can tell you, the sun’s beating down,” Andrews said. “Most teams, they like to bring tents when it’s very hot and bright on their sideline. Not the Chiefs, man. They use the backups of the offensive line to protect their starters.”
The video supported Andrews’ report. There were no canopy tents on the visiting sideline. But while the offensive starters were sitting on the bench with the defense on the field, backup offensive linemen were standing directly in front of them, providing shade.
“Most teams, they like to bring tents when it’s very hot and bright on their sideline. Not the Chiefs, man. They use the backups of the offensive line to protect their starters.”
– Erin Andrews. pic.twitter.com/tz5UR9qug4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 20, 2024
“I will say, though, I’m watching Patrick Mahomes,” Andrews said. “Nobody stands in front of that guy. He just takes it.”
Play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt put the role of the backups into layman’s terms.
“‘Hey, guys. Stand up, you’re the backups. Take the sun beating for three-and-a-half hours,'” he said.
The unconventional approach to creating shade didn’t hinder Kansas City on Sunday. The Chiefs’ 28-18 win over the 49ers was far less dramatic than the overtime thriller they prevailed in Super Bowl LVIII, the previous meeting between the two teams.
In August, Forbes valued the 49ers at $6.8 billion. It would be nice if they could find a solution that would make things easier for not just their opponents but (speaking from experience) their fans sitting on that side of the field. There’s a reason the seats are often nearly completely empty when shown at halftime. And in the meantime, the Chiefs (valued at $4.85 billion) can certainly afford to run to a sporting goods store to pick up a few canopy tents.
But they certainly made it work on Sunday.
[Photo Credit: Fox]
