3 reasons to still be proud of 49ers despite Super Bowl loss

After the TVs were turned off, jerseys tossed in the laundry for their yearly wash, and a restless sleep later, the sun came up for the 49ers and the Faithful.

The aftermath of losing Super Bowl 58 is still spiraling online and it certainly won't get any better soon. The 49ers need to figure out who they're going to re-sign, who to cut, which coaches should and shouldn't be back, and once again look for the missing piece to get them over the hump.

It's easy to look at the negatives of the season: three-game losing streak, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks needing to come down from the booth to coach, quarterback Brock Purdy unravelling against the Baltimore Ravens in primetime, and of course the Super Bowl.

But instead of nitpicking what could've been, we should focus on one of the most successful seasons in franchise history.

Nobody would've been shocked if the 49ers took a step back this year. Purdy was coming off elbow surgery and no one would've predicted he'd be breaking records this soon. Even though the team was still mostly in-tacked, in this modern NFL era it's a challenge to keep pulling off double-digit win seasons. And yet, the 49ers keep finding a way to win and to be in the conversation for Super Bowl contenders.

Let's take a look at a few other highlights from the 2023 season which the 49ers Faithful can be proud of.

No. 3: 49ers offense etching their name in history books

Led by Brock Purdy, the 49ers offense was running laps around other defenses all season. With weapons like running back Christian McCaffery, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and a solid tight end in George Kittle, the Niners couldn't be stopped.

McCaffery forced football historians to write his name in the book by passing Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice for most single-season touchdowns in franchise history. Rice had 22 in a shortened 12-game regular season in 1987 while McCaffery totaled 25, including four postseason scores. Both records are impressive considering the different eras each played in.

Purdy took down a record held by CFL legend and 49ers great Jeff Garcia when he threw for 4,280 yards in 2023. Garcia held the record at 4,278 since 2000, a record which stood for 23 years.

As a unit, Purdy, Kittle, McCaffery, Aiyuk and Samuel became just the fourth set of teammates to eclipse a passer with 4,000 yards and four players with 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage.

Assuming this group sticks together next season, they could be set to break even more timeless stats soon.