Las Vegas – Usually the third times a charm but for the Forty-Niners, it’s a nightmare that won’t end. San Francisco suffered their third loss in thirteen years when reaching the Super Bowl. The 49ers 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime at Super Bowl LVIII was more than a heartbreak. It was the second time in four years that the Chiefs defeated San Francisco.
“I mean, we strained as long as we could,” said Fred Warner. “We still had an opportunity at the end there. Had we had a body on [Mecole] Hardman… but you know that’s just how it goes sometimes.
That’s probably the most disappointing thing about the loss because we went into it saying that he [Travis Kelce] wasn’t going to be the reason that they beat us. And, you know, we just were off on a couple of plays there at the end where he’s running wide open over the middle of the field. And that’s just disappointing.”
Kansas City tied the game 19-19 when Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 0:03 left in regulation. Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal, and the game plan was to simply stop the Chiefs run. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes can move his offense downfield quickly. And he did just that when he found Hardman for a 3-yard touchdown that won the game.
“On the third down? It looked like a protection bust up the middle,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We were going to Jauan [Jennings]. I know it looked like Jauan killed him and won pretty good, but Chris Jones got loose in the middle. I think there was a mistake, not sure, but he’s a hard guy to block.”
The biggest mistake San Francisco made was in the third quarter. The Chiefs came out in the second half with a lot of hope and a few mistakes. A crucial turnover by the 49ers proved costly. Tommy Townsend punted 40 yards, Darrell Luter muffed the punt, and it was recovered by Jaylen Watson for 1 yard. Mahomes then connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown to take the lead for the first time making it a 13-10 game.
“I saw the ball bounce and it hit off [Darrell] Luter,” said Shanahan. “Yelling at Peter, I don’t know, I can’t hear it out there, so it looks like he didn’t hear it either. The ball took a bad bounce and got him, and I didn’t actually see what happened on the block field goal. I’m not sure where, but yeah, those were some tough plays.”
Purdy who went 23 for 38 for 255 yards with one touchdown connected with Jauan Jennings for a 10-yard touchdown to make it a 16-23 game. Jennings scored his 8th touchdown and first in the postseason. But Moody’s kick was blocked for the extra point that would’ve sealed their victory. Instead, Moody kicked a 53-yard field that allowed the Chiefs to tie the game to force overtime. With 61,629 in attendance, it was the perfect ending to a great game Super Bowl game.
“Yeah, it was one by three formation,” Jennings said on his touchdown. “I had a short route to the outside of the bunch, made sure I got behind the line of scrimmage, that’s all I could be the backwards pass, then I had to look for the middle route, we had a middle route coming up across the middle that was Brayden Willis. He was triple teamed, and I turn back to throw to Christian McCaffrey who was wide open.”
However, after Purdy was unable to reach the end zone to win the game, Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal. The plan was for San Francisco’s defense to step up and make the necessary stops, but Mahomes’ offense was unstoppable. The Chiefs came out more aggressive in the second half and moved downfield with speed. They were no match to a gassed-out 49ers defense.
The loss was overwhelming for the 49ers, this is the second time in four years that they’ve lost to Kansas City who became back-to-back champions. San Francisco ends another season wondering what if!? Every super bowl appearance they’ve made has resulted in a loss. Under Shanahan, the team has made two appearances with two different quarterbacks, and it doesn’t get any easier to lose to the same team twice. Mahomes was crowned with his third MVP. Kicker [Harrison] Butker kicked 9 field goals, including a 57-yard one that was the longest field goal made in the NFL super bowl.
“I think you guys can appreciate him,” said Kansas City head coach Andy Reid on Mahomes. “You get to see him and what he is. I mean, there’s no façade there. He comes to work every day, humble, wanting to be great. He challenges the guys around him to be great every play and never flinches. You drop the ball; we’ll get the next one. Or listen, I need you in this spot right here. It’s not like chewing them out or any of that bit and likewise with the penalties. Let’s keep our hands tighter. Let’s not grab. That’s the way he operates. A pleasure to coach. Absolute pleasure to coach.”
“We gave it all we had,” Arik Armstead said. “It’s all a hard task to chase around [Patrick] Mahomes, so it puts a lot of pressure on you to keep from getting fatigued, but we gave it all. I’m proud of our guys.
We had an amazing season, a lot of memories formed with my teammates and we’re really close. Obviously, it’s tough on us right now. That’s when you got to lean on each other to kind of get through these moments.”
49ers arrive and warmup for Super Bowl LVIII
The 49ers arrived in style at Allegiant Stadium. Then taking the field for pregame warmups before facing the Kansas City Chiefs for Super Bowl LVIII.
