The San Francisco 49ers suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl as they lost 25-22 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs, and they were forced to return home empty-handed.
The 49ers lost and appeared to reverse their typical playoff trajectory early on, failing to score points offensively despite showing some promise and shutting down Patrick Mahomes and company on defense.
The game eventually went into overtime before Kansas City defeated the 49ers by scoring a touchdown rather than a field goal, but they were unable to open up enough of a lead against the Chiefs, who staged a second-half comeback attempt.
49ers analyst Rohan Chakravarthi responded to the team’s 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs immediately after the game.
The 49ers’ offensive struggles began early in the game when Christian McCaffrey fumbled on the team’s first drive in Kansas City territory.
The next drive was then spoiled by a penalty, and the 49ers had to settle for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.
After a trick-play touchdown by Jauan Jennings that found Christian McCaffrey for a 21-yard gain, the 49ers were finally in the end zone.
Despite possessing excellent field position, the 49ers failed to convert an interception in the second half and ended up going three and out on their first three drives.
However, when Kansas City scored, they were able to react, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter on a field goal and a The 49ers showed promise in overtime as well, but were unable to muster a touchdown drive in the end zone and had to settle for their third field goal of the contest.
They ultimately lost badly because they were unable to capitalize on enough opportunities on this end of the game.
Protection
The 49ers’ defensive play early on helped them turn the tide after their defense had struggled in the first half of the previous two games. They held the Chiefs to just three points, which came on the penultimate drive of the half.
After forcing three punts early in the game, San Francisco forced a turnover when the Chiefs drove the field. Steve Wilks called one of his greatest halves of the season against a formidable opponent.
As the defense grew weary, Kansas City began to cut into the lead after Ji’Ayir Brown secured an interception on the first drive of the second half and San Francisco forced another three-and-out.
After a field goal drive, the Chiefs recovered a muffed punt by the 49ers, and Patrick Mahomes found Marquez Valdez-Scantling for a one-play touchdown that gave Kansas City their first lead of the game.
During their last possessions of the second half, Kansas City settled for two more field goals on 12- and 11-play drives, which resulted in a 19-19 tie at the end of the game.
Then, with just a field goal needed in overtime, Patrick Mahomes made the right plays to lead Kansas City to a touchdown and, in a devastating way, the Super Bowl in a thrilling game for the 49ers.
After missing out on their Super Bowl dreams in the playoffs once more, the 49ers will now be looking for solutions as they try to decide how to get back to the big stage.
