Getting to that point might take a little longer this time given just how close the Niners came to winning the franchise's long-coveted but elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy. And that's where our mindsets are at, or at least where they will arrive at some point." "It's not just going to be OK right away, but you understand that the only thing you can do is use this fuel to propel us forward. But I say this time because that's this time. "And ultimately, we're going to have to live with for a lifetime the reality that we didn't get it done this time. "It's gut-wrenching," general manager John Lynch said. And they might be running out of chances to rectify them, at least in their current iteration. Not just because they lost a game that was there for the taking, but also because of the cumulative effect of the previous near misses. But Super Bowl LVIII seemed to hit the hardest. To their credit, the Niners have put action behind those beliefs. The final defeat was always difficult to swallow but was often buoyed by an internal belief they could return. In each season, the Niners had taken a different, occasionally circuitous path to get back on Lombardi's doorstep. In 2022, they played most of another NFC Championship Game without a healthy quarterback in what became a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2021, they fell short in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. It started with their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV to conclude the 2019 season. It's like one of the biggest heartbreaks you can deal with."ĭealing with heartbreak has become an unwanted offseason tradition for the 49ers.
"It really hit me, and then it would go away then it hit me again and it's just like it don't even feel real," Samuel said. But they made it clear that what happened in Vegas certainly won't stay there. None were sure they'd be able to stomach it anytime soon. Others - such as running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and quarterback Brock Purdy - described their upcoming grieving process.Īll of them - including coach Kyle Shanahan - had declined to rewatch what took place at Allegiant Stadium. At the other, left tackle Trent Williams, usually one of the team's most thoughtful and expansive interviews, had little to say. They just didn't want to believe it.Īt one end of the locker room, defensive end Nick Bosa told reporters he needed time to digest the loss before looking to next season. As various San Francisco 49ers filed through the locker room at their facility, less than 48 hours removed from losing Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, the enormity of that devastating defeat had already sunk in. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĤ9ers still processing Super Bowl loss, falling short again