The 49ers seemed to be dominating the opening possession of Super Bowl 58 until a crucial mistake by Christian McCaffrey.
After receiving the opening kickoff in Super Bowl 58, the San Francisco 49ers were hotly driving down the field against the Kansas City Chiefs en route to taking an early (and very welcomed) lead.
On four plays, the Niners managed to get all the way to KC's 29-yard line and were set up perfectly for that opening lead.
Except for a brutal and costly mistake on the fifth play San Francisco had by the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey fumbled, and Kansas City recovered:
BALL OUT, CHIEFS HAVE IT pic.twitter.com/JfYKqv1so6
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 11, 2024
Related story: Brandon Aiyuk might be the X-factor hero 49ers need in Super Bowl 58
McCaffrey hadn't fumbled since Oct. 23, and the turnover marked the first time in his career that he fumbled during the postseason.
Its certainly not a great omen for a Niners team that was averaging 9.5 yards per play on that opening drive.
Thankfully, the Chiefs went 3-and-out on their opening offensive possesion, all but wiping out the most serious aspects of the turnover despite costing San Francisco an excellent scoring opportunity.
For now, Super Bowl 58 remains tied at null. McCaffrey and the 49ers need to bounce back in a hurry.