By Charlie O. Mallonee @ESPN1320
Let’s not sugarcoat the situation. The 49ers losing the Super Bowl on Sunday night is a tremendous disappointment. Every fan knows this was a “fairytale” season and that San Francisco reached new heights that no one expected to see for another two or three years. That still doesn’t ease the pain.
I remember hearing Raiders Hall of Fame coach John Madden say that no matter how well you played in the Super Bowl - if you lost the game – you had to spend the entire off-season dealing with the fact you lost the last game of the season. In other words, you go home a loser! That may seem harsh and yet it is true.
The Niners played a great game
The San Francisco 49ers have nothing to be ashamed of as they leave Miami. They played very well versus another strong football team. The committed only two turnovers which was the same number of miscues the Chiefs committed. There were no dramatic coaching mistakes. Plus, the officiating was above average for the season.
The Niners put 351 yards of offense in the scorebook – 210 yards passing and 141 yards rushing. That was a little surprising because this team had been seen as just a running team. The O-line allowed the Kansas City defense to sack Garoppolo only once in the game.
The defense
The 49ers defense was strong through three quarters. When the fourth quarter began, San Francisco held a 20-10 lead. In the final quarter, the Chiefs decided to change the pace and went into a “hurry-up” offense. The made 29 plays in the fourth quarter and scored 21 unanswered points. That was the final story of the contest.
The Niners defense gave up 397 yards of total offense to Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes passed for 268 yards and two TD’s but he was also intercepted twice. The Chiefs did surprise the 49ers by rushing more and gaining 129 yards on the ground.
There are already critics that are trying to draw comparisons between the Niners loss on Sunday to the Falcons Super Bowl loss when Kyle Shanahan was the Offensive Coordinator. The Chiefs found another gear in the fourth quarter and the 49ers just were not able to keep up. Things happen. San Francisco lost to the better team on Sunday not because their head coach did a bad job.
Things will look different next season
The reality is that approximately 40-percent of the players on this 49ers team will not be on the roster next September. That is just the way of today’s NFL. That does not mean they will not be a good team, but there is no guarantee they will be in the Super Bowl.