Six months later, the 31-20 defeat of the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs was still fresh in the minds of the players. However, a massive letdown in the championship game became an eye-opener for the runner-up team. San Francisco 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward knows what they could have done better and how they can address it moving forward.
“The last five minutes, we just didn’t finish,” Ward recalled. “It seemed they wanted it more than us and that’s why they won the game.”
“Whenever you play the Chiefs, make sure everybody runs to the ball,” Ward said. “We were doing a pretty good job of that. They’ve got a lot of fast guys who can get (yards) after the catch, a scrambling quarterback, and just finish.
“It’s all about the finish.”
The path of the 2019 San Francisco 49ers team was hurdled with little resistance. They easily topped the NFC West division with a 13-3 record. Their dominant form led them to the top seed in the NFC division heading into the 2019 NFL Playoffs.
The 49ers started the festivities with an encounter against the Minnesota Vikings and won, 27-10. They moved on to meet with another strong contender in the Green Bay Packers which they also blew out with a 37-20 winning effort.
They eventually landed on the Super Bowl stage to face the AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs. After leading 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the 49ers' luck began to run out. Over the last 6:13 of the game, the Chiefs offense completed two touchdown drives with Mahomes throwing touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and Damien Williams, to take the lead just before the two-minute warning.
The Chiefs ultimately hoisted the Lombardi Trophy but it served as a wake-up call for the 49ers to come back hungrier next season. They are looking to do just that with their formidable defensive line and their dangerous offensive weapons.
The team will open the upcoming season on September 13 as they host the revamped Arizona Cardinals.
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