LAS VEGAS (AP) — Coach Kyle Shanahan’s third trip to the Super Bowl ended up just like his first two — major disappointment after another blown late lead.
The San Francisco 49ers coach has developed an offence that teams around the league try to mimic and has a vast coaching tree that makes him one of the most influential figures in the game at the young age of 44.
He just doesn’t have a Super Bowl title after San Francisco squandered two late leads and lost 25-22 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super
I don’t care how you lose. When you lose Super Bowls, especially ones when you think you can pull it off, it hurts,” Shanahan said. “When you’re in the NFL, I think every team should hurt except for one at the end. We’ve gotten pretty damn close but haven’t pulled it off. We’re hurting right now.”
This loss follows a blown 10-point lead by Shanahan’s 49ers in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl four years ago to Kansas City and an even bigger collapse in the 2016 season when he was offensive coordinator. The Falcons blew a 25-point that game and lost 34-28 in overtime to New England.
This latest one might be the toughest to take since the 49ers had the best team in the league for most of the season and seemed poised to deliver Shanahan his first championship.
“When you go against guys like Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead,” Shanahan said. “Those guys are two of the best to ever play the game.”
But the Niners squandered a 10-point lead in the first half and then couldn’t hold on to a pair of three-point leads late, making Shanahan the first head coach ever to blow two double-digit leads in the Super Bowl.
His 49ers also blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of the 2021 NFC title game against the Rams, tying him for the most blown double-digit leads in the playoffs for a coach in NFL history.
Mahomes drove for a game-tying field goal in the final 1:53 of regulation and then a game-winning TD pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime after Shanahan opted to take the ball first in the extra session.
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