5 reasons why 49ers lost Super Bowl 54 vs Chiefs

No. 4: Just when the 49ers needed to knock time off the clock, the offense lost traction.

The Kansas City Chiefs had the ball on offense for about seven minutes longer than the San Francisco 49ers. Those seven minutes basically translate to the final minutes of the game.

The 49ers needed to have a solid three to five-minute drive to keep Mahomes off the field and limit the time he could spend picking apart the defense.

Instead, it was the Chiefs’ defense that looked like the league’s best. It’s a credit to them for rising to the occasion.

When you talk about the Chiefs, you’ll almost always compliment their offense with Mahomes and Hill, but the next part of the conversation is: “Their defense just isn’t great.” Now, you can say the Kansas City Chiefs have a great defense.

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KC’s defense was relentless all game. They were able to stop the run down the middle and, at some points, even shut down the runs which went to the outside. Their pass defense was all over the field.

Two interceptions, a few knockdowns, and numerous hits on the quarterback helped steady their all-around game.

One of the key points to note is when 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo thought he had an open receiver, the Chiefs defensive line were able to get their hands up and bat the ball away.

There’s a lot of chatter about Garoppolo, but when he thought he had an open man, the Chiefs were right there.