5 reasons why 49ers ultimately lost Super Bowl 58 to Chiefs
The Niners suffered yet another brutal Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, and it'll prompt questions all offseason.
By Peter Panacy
![Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_7223,h_4062,x_0,y_332/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/42/01hpdwqsdtpvv74a3zfv.jpg)
Reason No. 4: 49ers didn't involve Christian McCaffrey as much as they should have
Another aspect Donte Whitner pointed out on the postgame show was a question of why the Niners didn't make running back Christian McCaffrey a bigger X-factor during the game, particularly when involving outside-zone rushing schemes.
After all, Kansas City ranked 31st in the NFL defending against that kind of rush play.
McCaffrey was still a force, scoring one of San Francisco's two touchdowns and rushing for 80 yards while also hauling in another 80 yards through the air.
Still, it was tough for the 49ers to get some dominating drives, and the inability to get McCaffrey more touches on the ground in the right situations surely played a role. It also played a huge role in the Niners falling flat in the third quarter, too, which swung momentum back in the Chiefs' favor.