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What we learned in 49ers’ heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
LAS VEGAS — Another Super Bowl opportunity on Sunday supplied 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan with only another crushing defeat.
If not now . . . when?
That has to be the question surrounding the 49ers, who were built to win and were set up perfectly to achieve the organization’s sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.
But the mighty Kansas City Chiefs of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, once again, came through when it mattered most with a 25-22 overtime victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.
It was the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, and the second time Shanahan was on the losing side.
After the 49ers took a three-point lead on rookie kicker Jake Moody’s 27-yard field goal to open overtime, Mahomes took over to lead the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Mahomes completed 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He won the game with his 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman after 14 minutes, 57 seconds of overtime.
He got the Chiefs into position for the win with his running, too. He gained a team-high 66 yards on nine rushing attempts.
The 49ers’ Super Bowl drought now reaches a 30th season. The 49ers must once again pick up the pieces and restart in the offseason program, with the daunting goal of finding a way to get back to this game a year from now in New Orleans.
Shanahan, 44, last week admitted it was heartbreaking to lose previous Super Bowls. In themselves, the losses were difficult. But both previous times, his teams squandered large second-half leads.
Shanahan, long regarded as one of the top coaches in the NFL, might have been under the most pressure of anyone associated with Super Bowl LVIII to win the game.
There are sure to be whispers — or shouts, even — that Shanahan is incapable of winning the big one.
Shanahan had his agreement already in place to become coach of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-49ers-heartbreaking-super-bowl-041153018.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-02-12 04:11:53
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