5 reasons why 49ers lost Super Bowl 54 vs Chiefs

No. 1: Like all sporting events, momentum is huge. Unfortunately for the 49ers, it didn’t go their way on many occasions.

Football is a funny game. You could be up 24 points against a team that has no business hanging around, and yet, still find a way to lose. It’s all about momentum. The 49ers had a lot of it heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t keep it.

There were some key plays during throughout the game which were missed on the field, but of course, weren’t missed on social media.

There was what seemed to be a hold on 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa, when Mahomes dropped back to pass. The way the Chiefs were playing, though, even if Bosa had gotten through the offensive line, Mahomes would’ve just found an open receiver 30 yards down the field like he so often does.

Near the end of the first half, the 49ers stopped KC on third down, forcing them to punt. Typically a timeout would be used, so when the offense gets the ball, they have time to score. The 49ers didn’t call a timeout, and the clock ticked down to about a minute left in the half by the time the offense got on the field.

With a few seconds left in the second quarter, Garoppolo threw a gorgeous pass to tight end George Kittle. However, Kittle was called for offensive pass interference. It didn’t seem like a whole lot, but he did gain some extra ground by ever-so-slightly pushing the defender.

Sadly, it’s a penalty.

On the final few drives, Garoppolo was taking lots of hits. After a scramble to the 49ers side of the field, Jimmy G was shoved out of bounds. The Niners bench was obviously upset there wasn’t a call. They were probably also upset there wasn’t an offside call seconds before.

There was also the foot on the white line, ball breaking the plain of the goal-line debate. Was the receiver out of bounds before the ball crossed? It was extremely hard to tell, and they went with the ruling on the field: Touchdown.

But here’s the thing with all these momentum changing plays: The 49ers still had plenty of chances to win the game. They still had the ball before the two minute warning to drive down the field to kill time.

They had a chance to take the lead into halftime, but decided they were content going in with a tie, despite getting the ball to begin the third quarter.

It’s always tough watching your team lose in the championship game. But the 49ers have a bright future ahead.

The revenge tour in 2020 is already gaining momentum, and the Niners will be more hungry than ever for their sixth Lombardi trophy.