‘Hurting’ 49ers lament one other misplaced Tremendous Bowl alternative

LAS VEGAS — For the second time in 4 years, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan walked right into a deathly silent locker room with the troublesome process of discovering the phrases to consolation a staff that had climbed to inside a step of the NFL mountaintop solely to return up brief.

Very like after his staff coughed up a 10-point fourth-quarter result in the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl LIV, Shanahan got here to the identical conclusion following Sunday night time’s 25-22 additional time loss to those self same Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl LVIII.

“There’s nothing completely different to say,” Shanahan defined. “I do not care the way you lose, if you lose Tremendous Bowls, particularly ones you assume you possibly can pull off, it hurts. However I believe if you’re within the NFL, I believe each staff ought to damage aside from one on the finish. We have gotten fairly rattling shut, however we have not pulled it off, and we’re hurting proper now.”

Sunday night time’s loss was painful not only for the truth that the Niners once more had a double-digit lead they could not dangle on to or that that they had a pair of pricey particular groups miscues or that operating again Christian McCaffrey fumbled away a promising opening drive. It damage for all these causes however much more so as a result of it is the newest in a collection of devastating close to misses which might be turning into a late January and early February custom in San Francisco.

The Niners have superior to no less than the NFC Championship Sport in 4 of the previous 5 seasons. They’ve gone to the Tremendous Bowl in two of these campaigns. They’ve misplaced double-digit leads in each Tremendous Bowls and an NFC Championship Sport, with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and not using a wholesome quarterback for many of that recreation blended in.

It is San Francisco’s third consecutive Tremendous Bowl loss since its final win following the 1994 season, making it the fifth staff to lose three straight Tremendous Bowls together with the Buffalo Payments, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals. The Niners are additionally now 0-4 in opposition to the Chiefs below Shanahan, essentially the most losses and not using a win versus any opponent below his steerage.

There was loads of success for the 49ers to make it deep into the postseason regularly. However the lack of ability to show these into championships has left a repeatedly bitter style within the 49ers’ mouths.

“We have been so shut so many instances that there is solely so many extra alternatives that we have now,” defensive finish Nick Bosa mentioned.

Sunday’s defeat got here with loads of probabilities to shut the deal.

The 49ers had been the aggressors within the first half, shifting the ball at will on the sport’s opening drive, averaging 11.5 yards per play on their first 4 snaps. Then on first-and-10 at Kansas Metropolis’s 29-yard line, McCaffrey took a handoff to the precise the place he was met by Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, who pried the ball free with defensive finish George Karlaftis recovering it at Kansas Metropolis’s 27.

It was McCaffrey’s third fumble of the season after he misplaced simply two in his first six seasons mixed (2017 to 2022). After the loss, a despondent McCaffrey repeated the identical phrase a number of instances within the span of a few minutes.

“The very first thing I believe is I am unable to put the ball on the bottom on the primary drive,” McCaffrey mentioned. “It may sting. Put that on me.”

That was not the one pricey mishap for the Niners. With 2:42 to go within the third quarter and the Niners getting the ball again with a 10-6 lead, a particular groups unit that was having a robust recreation took a flip for the more serious.

Kansas Metropolis punter Tommy Townsend’s kick sailed 40 yards to the Niners’ 25, the place it hit off rookie cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.’s leg as he tried to dam for returner Ray-Ray McCloud.

Luter mentioned he didn’t hear a “Peter” name, which is the sign to get out of the best way if the ball is coming towards a non-returner. An alert McCloud tried to scoop the ball up however misplaced it as Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson fell on it on the Niners’ 16.

McCloud mentioned he had no regrets about how he tried to catch or recuperate the ball, however Luter was extra upset in his lack of ability to dodge the ball within the first place.

“It’s a sucky feeling,” Luter mentioned. “It type of makes you are feeling as if it is all on you. That is what it type of makes you are feeling like. However I type of obtained to take it with a grain of salt on the finish of the day and simply transfer ahead and be taught from it.”

Even after the Chiefs instantly turned that miscue right into a landing, the Niners bounced again with a 12-play landing drive — however even that was tempered by kicker Jake Moody’s further level getting blocked by Chenal.

The Niners and Chiefs traded subject objectives to go to additional time, the place the Niners gained the toss and determined to take the ball first. Beneath the league’s new postseason additional time guidelines, each groups get an opportunity to own the ball earlier than the sport ends until the primary drive ends with a security.

“We have been so shut so many instances that there is solely so many extra alternatives that we have now.”

49ers DE Nick Bosa

Earlier than the sport, Shanahan mentioned he and his analytics workers mentioned the probabilities and determined that with Patrick Mahomes on the opposite facet, it will be finest to take the ball first as a result of that might additionally imply the Niners obtained the ball third within the occasion each groups matched factors on their opening possessions and additional time progressed to sudden demise.

Shanahan mentioned he felt good in regards to the recreation he and his workers coached.

“What I am unable to reside with is after I do stuff that I did not plan on doing or that I did not do, and second guess myself,” Shanahan mentioned. “I am happy with what we did right now as a training workers and as gamers when it comes to we labored and we did the whole lot we deliberate on doing. We simply did not get it carried out.”

Now, the 49ers head off into one other offseason the place they are going to be pressured to determine how they’ll lastly break by means of. The questions on all of the issues that saved them from successful this one and those who got here earlier than it’s going to persist.

Most of San Francisco’s veteran nucleus remains to be below contract and ought to be again for one more run. Earlier than any of that, they will take time to grieve one other defeat on the Tremendous Bowl stage. As Shanahan reminded his gamers within the locker room after the sport, there isn’t any time restrict on coping with that ache.

It is a course of with which they’re turning into all too acquainted.

“It is arduous to place your self on the market on the most important stage on the planet and are available up brief and need to cope with what comes with that,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk mentioned. “It isn’t straightforward however it’s one thing that we are going to by no means again away from and by no means again down from.”