LAS VEGAS The distraught San Francisco 49ers, who had let a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter slip away, stood in stunned silence on the Hard Rock Stadium sideline as the final seconds of Super Bowl LIV ticked away.
Following their 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the then-rookie Niners found comfort in the notion that their time as the NFC’s best team was only getting started. Camera footage showed a mimed up George Kittle promising to return to the big game “with a vengeance.” Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, who were then in their first and second seasons in the NFL, respectively, believed they would return quickly.
“When you’re young and naive, you think when you go so early in your career it’s like, ‘Man, this is just what it’s like, you go to the Super Bowl every year,'” Warner stated. “That’s not what the case is.”
Reaching this stage was not easy, as Warner and the Niners can attest. The Super Bowl near-miss has provided abundant evidence in the years that have followed about how difficult it is to bounce back.
The 49ers are back on the biggest stage in the league right now. In addition, they will have another opportunity to face head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs when they play in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET on CBS). Bosa claimed that even though it has been four years, “a lot has happened” since the last trip, making it seem like much longer.
The 49ers’ 2020 campaign was marred by a deluge of major injuries. After that, two heartbreaking NFC Championship Game losses in the seasons 2021 and 2022. They’ve experienced challenging player and coaching exits, and the issue of which quarterback has the ability to lead them back to the promised land has persisted nonstop.
According to coach Kyle Shanahan, “it’s very hard.” “January is just a long month that ends in February every year. However, regardless of whether you lose a Super Bowl or an NFC Championship, you always feel it afterwards. Ask anyone, and they will tell you if it’s one or two of them.
“After that, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it took so long to get there and so much effort.'” How will you ever be able to repeat that?”
Depending on which 49ers player you ask, the answer to the question of what has specifically been the hardest aspect of making it back to the Super Bowl will vary. Shanahan finds it simple: almost everything that could go wrong did during the 2020 season.
As if the COVID-19 pandemic, which stopped the world in its tracks and made NFL teams play in front of empty stadiums, wasn’t bad enough, the 49ers’ roster was completely destroyed by injuries to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, running back Raheem Mostert, defensive end Dee Ford, receiver Debbie Samuel, and cornerback Richard Sherman. Out of 112 games, that group participated in 37 (33%).
Football Outsiders’ adjusted games lost measure (which also took into account players missing games due to COVID-19) showed the team had lost 161.6 games due to injury, which was the second most of any team in the previous 20 years up until that time. The Niners faced yet another obstacle in December 2020 when Santa Clara County forbade them from using their home facilities due to COVID-19 regulations that temporarily outlawed contact sports.
The Niners were compelled by the suspension to relocate their whole organization to Glendale, Arizona, where they played out the remainder of their 6-10 season with some players renting houses and others lodging at the Renaissance Hotel.
“We had to go live in a hotel where COVID didn’t seem as big of a deal because outside of our windows, the whole state was open,” said Shanahan. “Everyone was gone when we got a glimpse of a Dave & Buster’s and a movie theater. However, as we were unable to practice football outside, we were expelled from this place. Then, according to NFL regulations, we had to spend a month apart in a hotel and were not permitted to see each other. We were allowed to walk outside for recess and the cells were beautiful.”
A different kind of drama unfolded during the next offseason, as the Niners looked for a long-term quarterback when Garoppolo’s injury struggles persisted. They went from No. 12 to No. 3 in the draft by trading three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins, and they selected Trey Lance, a gifted but undeveloped quarterback prospect, with the pick.
Even though the Niners wanted to keep Garoppolo starting while Lance gained experience, Garoppolo struggled with injuries once more. They stumbled to a 3-5 start even with the majority of the roster back to full health. Over the next two months, they played every game like it was the playoffs, and only made it into the postseason thanks to a 17-point comeback against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 that saw them finish 10-7.
The Niners, driven by Samuel’s breakout season, advanced to the NFC Championship Game where they faced the Rams again. Leading by ten points after three quarters, the Niners ultimately lost by three, 20-17. The unforgettable memory from the loss was safety Jaquiski Tartt’s dropped interception, which may have helped ice the game.
Another sluggish start (3-4) in 2022 was followed by a 10-game winning streak that saw the team finish the season at 13-4 and win the NFC West division. Along the way, the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey, a running back, and went through several quarterback changes. In Week 2, Lance was sidelined due to a right ankle injury, and in Week 13, Garoppolo suffered a foot break in a victory over Miami.
Super Bowl LVIII: Chiefs vs. 49ers
After that, San Francisco’s rookie quarterback Brock Purdy turned into one of the season’s most captivating tales, taking the team to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Niners’ season had been marred by quarterback injuries up to that point, and Purdy’s tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow a few plays into the game was the latest example. Josh Johnson, the backup quarterback, suffered a concussion shortly after, and the Niners lost 31–7 in a game where they had a quarterback unable to pass the ball for the majority of the second half.
The need to succeed has increased, but left tackle Trent Williams says the sting of those two NFC title game defeats is still there.
Williams remarked, “You want to get it all back in one day.” The goal on the first day of OTAs is to win a championship. However, you must be patient and realize that this is a marathon rather than a sprint. It mostly comes down to attention, setting goals, and being able to meet them every Sunday. A little bit of luck helps, though.
DURING THE NINEERS’ Narrow misses and setbacks, they have had to learn how to stay in the race as other teams steal some of their top players and coaches. Several members of Shanahan’s staff left with head coaching positions, including defensive coordinators DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans), Robert Saleh (New York Jets), and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel (Dolphins).
Along with watching key role players like Mostert, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, and guard Laken Tomlinson depart in free agency, the Niners also had to make the difficult decision to trade defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts. They also had to make adjustments for draft misses on Lance, who was traded in August, and defensive tackle Jayvon Kinlaw, the first of their two first-round picks in 2020.
“Every year is just so special,” remarked Kittle. That’s the reason it’s so challenging. It is impossible to pay and retain everyone. You need to bring in fresh players and fill in the gaps. It’s important that you preserve your culture.
“There’s just so many interchanging parts, and so to continue and sustain winning as many regular-season games as we do, making the playoffs, it’s very difficult.”
These Niners are the best people to understand how tough it is. Expectedly healthy going into the game, San Francisco boasts a stronger offensive line than the previous time around thanks to the additions of McCaffrey, Williams, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (their second-round pick in 2020). They also have more seasoned players in Kittle, Samuel, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Eight players—seven of them were starters—participated in Super Bowl IV, and they have a quarterback in Purdy who they think could make the difference this time around.
The Niners are hoping that the difficulties they faced on the way back to this Super Bowl have made them more determined to complete the task at hand and win the sixth Lombardi Trophy, which has eluded them since they defeated the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX following the 1994 campaign.
“We have to settle the debt,” stated John Lynch, general manager. “It’s hard to recall who lost the Super Bowl. This is your chance to make an impression if you want to be remembered.”
FLORENCE, ORLANDO — The NFC defense stopped the AFC at the 3-yard line, ending the team’s hopes of winning the game.
With an aggregate score of 64-59, the NFC prevails in the Pro Bowl games.
When Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson covered Houston Texans [ C.J. Stroud’s pass to Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, the play resulted in a fumble on downs with four seconds left.
Stroud completed 18 of 22 passes for 173 yards, which led all quarterbacks. The newbie blended in well with his elite comrades.Gene Smith of the Seattle Seahawks led the NFC in passing with 154 yards on 15 of 21 passes.
With nine receptions for 90 receiving yards, including three receiving and one passing touchdowns, Allen was one of the standouts.
NFC receivers TeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions each had three touchdown catches. Brown’s 10 receptions for 117 yards included one touchdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday night, with the Chiefs arriving first and the 49ers arriving almost an hour later. With this, Super Bowl LVIII preparations can officially start.
The crews of both aircraft halted on the tarmac at the Las Vegas airport and hoisted the flag of their respective teams from the cockpit windows.
After descending stairs, coaches and players boarded busses that quickly transported them to nearby hotels.
