It couldn't have been closer, and still so far away.
Nobody is crying for 49ers fans, but maybe they should be.
As the world surely knows, last weekend the 49ers lost their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the last two at the hands of Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend and the entire Kansas City Chiefs.
While internet trolls will delight with glee at a “historic collapse” or the fact that technically, it’s the third Super Bowl coach Kyle Shanahan has been involved with (two as HC, one as Offensive Coordinator) that his team has had a lead of ten points or more and still managed to lose.
That’s a fact, but it’s kind of a misleading one. First of all, being up by ten points in the first half to Mahomes is hardly a lead anyone should feel comfortable with. But even more importantly, this game swung on some very, very thin margins.
To me (and others), the game swung in the 3rd quarter, when the 49ers stopped the Chiefs yet again, forcing them to punt. At that point it was a 10-6 game (showing how strong both defenses were playing). And then, the punt bounced off CB Darrell Luter’s foot. Return man Ray Ray McCloud didn’t pounce on the ball, but tried to pick it up, unsuccessfully - and the Chiefs recovered. (For those not clear on the rules, once the receiving team on a punt touches the ball - intentionally or not - it is a live ball for anyone.)
Note that at this point, the vaunted Chiefs offense hadn’t scored a touchdown, but they did on the very next play. Some people can dismiss “momentum” as a real thing, but it was quite clear that them pulling to a 13-10 lead changed the game, a lot.
And still, the 49ers kept it close. So close that it went to the very end of overtime.
There were still so many ways the 49ers could have won this game, of course. Fans have nitpicked the decision to receive in overtime, but the reality is that the 49ers failed to build enough of a lead when they were really dominating the game. They caused two turnovers of their own - unlike the Chiefs, they not only didn’t score off of them, but they went 3-and-out on both possessions.
It’s also worth noting this isn’t an indictment of Brock Purdy or the offense. Would I have liked to see more run plays, knowing that’s the weakness of the Chiefs defense? Sure, but Christian McCaffrey only averaged about 3.6 yards per carry so he wasn’t slashing them up and down on the regular. The Chiefs defense is legitimately good and they rose to the occasion.
What IS worth taking away from this game is where the 49ers - one of the most talented teams in the league - need to improve. And it’s what fans have been saying all season - its the offensive line and cornerback depth.
Just go to overtime to see why. The 49ers did elect to receive the ball and ran methodically down the field, ending up at 3rd and 4 on the 9-yard line. The play was designed for Jauan Jennings (who had already caught and thrown a TD), who is in the lower right hand corner of this photo, and he’s spinning into being WIDE OPEN. But as you can see, defensive tackle Chris Jones is almost on top of Purdy already. That’s because not a single 49ers lineman touched him. (Whether it was Spencer Burford or Colton McKivitz'‘s responsibility, I wouldn’t know. Neither seemed interested in blocking the Chiefs best lineman.)
And yes, that’s the same Chris Jones who wrecked the 49ers rig in Super Bowl LIV. Sigh.
The teams offensive line has basically been Trent Williams and hold onto your butts. Left guard Aaron Banks looks like he can play, but the other three spots are really weak points that get exploited by good defenses. Like the Chiefs.
(Note: It was just noted that Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster suffered a huge loss the week before the game, as his wife passed away during a long battle with cancer. It’s worth noting that this line often played way above its skill set. I often found folks saying the 49ers line was elite, which is really a testament to Foerster. It’s always a good reminder to remember all these players and coaches are humans too, with real life issues and lives. Thoughts to the Foerster family.)
The team settles for a field goal and then the Chiefs begin their march downfield. It’s Patrick Frigging Mahomes, this felt Thanos-level inevitable, but the 49ers still had a chance. A turnover, a stop on downs, anything but a touchdown and the 49ers win the Super Bowl, 22-19.
Instead, Mecole Hardman managed to be THIS open on the game winning touchdown.
One side of the 49ers cornerbacks is well set - star Charvarius “Mooney” Ward was not even targeted once, whoever he was covering. The other side is a bit of a rotating flywheel, whether it’s Ambry Thomas, Demo Lenoir or someone else. Those guys aren’t bad - but they’re not lockdown corners by any means.
The Chiefs started this dynastic run without a good offensive line and without a strong defense. They won on their explosive offense back when they had Tyreek Hill. After getting dominated on the line by Tampa Bay a few years ago, they retooled their offensive line and in drafting a better defense found some true gems in La’Darius Sneed and Trent McDuffie.
To quote Din Djarin, “This is the way.”
Next year’s Super Bowl will mark 30 years since this franchise has won a Super Bowl, losing in 2012, 2019 and now 2023. There are a LOT of 49er fans who aren’t as old and ancient as me who simply can’t remember ever seeing the team win five times between 1981-1994. There is a pain factor that other fans sniff away, but at this point, the 49ers have just had almost 30 straight seasons of not winning another title. The “Quest for Six” is interminably long.
The window is still open, but it’s closing. There’s a non-zero chance this incarnation of the team simply won’t get another chance at the Super Bowl. But the team needs to continue to do whatever it can to get another shot.
Truths
I'd talk to the film person too because the throw to Hardman was the exact same play the Chiefs used to beat the Eagles last year.