The 49ers had their sixth Lombardi Trophy snatched out of their hands Sunday when the Chiefs ripped off 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV to come up with a 31-20 win.
Here are five things we took away from the 49ers’ loss:
49ers blow it in fourth quarter
The 49ers went into the fourth quarter up 20-10, but gave up three unanswered touchdowns in the final frame to los the game 31-20. It wasn’t for a lack of opportunities though. They got a takeaway late, and had multiple chances on offense to swing the game and failed both times. It was going to be impossible for the 49ers’ defense to contain the Chiefs all game. The 49ers’ offense stumbled late though and couldn’t get it done.
The game turned on the drive after the Chiefs scored to go ahead 20-17. San Francisco had the ball with 6:06 left. They proceeded to go three-and-out with two incompletions from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy Garoppolo does Jimmy Garoppolo things
Garoppolo wasn’t great in the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t terrible either. He threw two interceptions, but one was at the end of the game on a last-gasp deep shot. He completed a couple of big-time throws and helped set up the touchdown that made it 20-10 by completing three of his four throws to get San Francisco to the 1-yard-line. He finished 20-of-31 for 219 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He had a chance to make plays at the end of the game though and couldn’t connect on throws in the final couple minutes.
Deebo Samuel shines on biggest stage
The 49ers’ rookie wide receiver was the star of the game on offense for San Francisco. He had three carries for 53 yards – a Super Bowl record for a wide receiver. He also caught a team-high five balls for 39 yards. The 49ers needed a star wide receiver, and they appear to have one in their 2019 second-round pick.
49ers pass rush couldn’t finish enough times
San Francisco’s pass rush got Patrick Mahomes for four sacks, which is a pretty good number against a quarterback that’s been very difficult to take down. However, his escapability allowed him to get free of multiple other sacks, and he turned would-be losses into positive gains. It’s what he did all year, and it’s why he’s the best quarterback in the NFL.
Two game-changing plays on one drive
The 49ers defense did a great job limiting big plays down the field until one series in the fourth quarter. Mahomes, on a third-and-15, found Tyreek Hill for 44 yards. Then Tarvarius Moore was flagged for pass interference on Travis Kelce in the end zone and a third-and-10. That set up a one-yard touchdown catch by Kelce two plays later.
