All season long, the San Francisco 49ers looked to have a good chance of winning the Super Bowl, and in fact, they were the favorites among oddsmakers to do just that.
But they lost in Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs, making it the second time in the last five seasons they blew a 10-point lead to the Chiefs with the Vince Lombardi Trophy at stake.
There is now a narrative that the 49ers, and in particular head coach Kyle Shanahan, cannot win the big game, but Shanahan publicly pushed back on that narrative, per Ari Meirov.
“When you say big games, we had to win a bunch of big games to get to the Super Bowl. … To say that the Niners can’t win a big game would be an extremely inaccurate statement,” he said.
#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan on the narrative he can’t win the big game:
“When you say big games, we had to win a bunch of big games to get to the Super Bowl. … To say that the Niners can’t win a big game would be an extremely inaccurate statement.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 13, 2024
The first time Shanahan was in the Super Bowl came seven years ago when he was the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.
There, the Falcons ran up a seemingly safe 25-point lead — only to blow it and lose to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in overtime.
Only two Super Bowls have gone into overtime, and Shanahan has been on the losing side both times.
There was also the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, when San Francisco led by 10 going into the fourth quarter, only to lose to the rival Los Angeles Rams.
Whether it’s fair or not, this narrative will persist until Shanahan and the 49ers win the world championship, especially since they have what many have considered the best roster in the NFL for some time.
The 49ers won five Vince Lombardi Trophies in the 1980s and 1990s, and nothing but a sixth one will make each season in the immediate future a success for them.
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