The 49ers fell short in an overtime classic against the Chiefs in a devastating finish.
In a crushing defeat, the San Francisco 49ers fell short once again to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, losing 25-22 in overtime to go home without a Lombardi Trophy.
In the loss, the 49ers seemed to flip their usual script in the playoffs early on, struggling to compile scores offensively despite having some promise, while locking Patrick Mahomes and Co. down defensively.
However, they couldn’t create enough of a gap between the Chiefs, who mounted a second-half comeback effort, with the game ultimately going to overtime before Kansas City beat the 49ers by scoring a touchdown, as opposed to a field goal.
Following the game, 49ers analyst Rohan Chakravarthi shared his instant reaction to the team’s 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, pointing out the major takeaways for the team moving forward.
Offense
It was a tough game for the 49ers offensively early on, as Christian McCaffrey fumbled on the opening drive in Kansas City territory.
From there, a penalty derailed the next drive, while the 49ers settled for a field goal on the ensuing drive, leading to a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
The 49ers finally got in the endzone with a trick-play touchdown, as Jauan Jennings hit Christian McCaffrey, who did the rest for a 21-yard score.
In the second half, the 49ers couldn’t capitalize on an interception, ultimately going three-and-out on each of their first three drives, despite having good field position.
But, they were able to respond after Kansas City scored, putting up nine fourth-quarter points with a field goal and a touchdown, although kicker Jake Moody missed an extra point that proved to be costly.
In overtime, the 49ers, once again, showed promise, but couldn’t put together a touchdown drive in the red zone, settling for their third field goal of the game.
In the end, they couldn’t take advantage of enough opportunities on this end of the game, which contributed to their brutal loss.
Defense
After the defense struggled in the first half over the last two games, the 49ers turned things around with strong defensive play early on, holding the Chiefs to just three points, which came on the final drive of the half.
San Francisco forced three early punts and then a fumble when the Chiefs drove down the field, with Steve Wilks calling one of his best halves of the season against a tough opponent.
After Ji’Ayir Brown secured an interception on the opening drive of the second half and San Francisco forced another three-and-out, Kansas City started to chop back into the lead as the defense began to get tired.
Following a field goal drive, the Chiefs recovered a 49ers’ muffed punt, resulting in a one-play touchdown from Patrick Mahomes to Marquez Valdez-Scantling, which gave Kansas City their first lead of the game.
Kansas City settled for two more field goals on 12 and 11-play drives on their final opportunities of the second half, leading to a 19-19 tie at the end of the game.
Then, in overtime, while he only needed a field goal, Patrick Mahomes made the necessary plays, leading Kansas City to a touchdown, and therefore, the Super Bowl in a devastating finish to an amazing game for the 49ers.
Now, the 49ers will be searching for answers as they figure out the best way to return to the big stage, falling short of their Super Bowl aspirations once again in the playoffs.
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