‘We’ll be back’: Defense will carry burden after lategame breakdown
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No more than a halfhour after Super Bowl LIV ended Sunday night, as the noise of a raucous Chiefs celebration echoed through Hard Rock Stadium’s cement bowels, 49ers cochairman John York quietly walked down the hallway outside his team’s locker room.
York looked at once stunned, dazed and crestfallen. He politely declined one reporter’s request for comment. Then York kept walking,
lost in thought, all but oblivious to the hoopla surrounding him.
His expression conveyed the mood among faithful 49ers fans. How did that just happen? What about the 2010 lead? York’s look suggested he hadn’t considered the most fashionable question in this socialmedia era of instant, angry, blackandwhite analysis: Who the hell should we blame for this?
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes probably isn’t a sufficient answer — way too diplomatic for the times — so here’s another nomination if we must: the defense.
Yes, head coach Kyle Shanahan probably shouldn’t have called consecutive pass plays after Raheem Mostert gained 5 yards on first down, with the 49ers suddenly trying to protect a 2017 lead. But if Shanahan calls two more runs, and the 49ers don’t move the chains, the howling of “He was too conservative!” begins anew.
And, yes, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo disappeared in the fourth quarter (3for11, 36 yards, one sack, one interception). Garoppolo, efficient most of the night, seemed hesitant and unsure of himself when the outcome spun in doubt. But he didn’t cost the 49ers the game.
So let’s turn to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s muchlauded crew. These 49ers were built on defense, after all, on a smothering front four and sneakygood linebackers and a strong, patched-together secondary. This defense dominated much of the season, including playoff wins over Minnesota and Green Bay and the first three quarters Sunday night. Not the fourth. The Chiefs reeled off touchdowns on three consecutive possessions, puncturing the 49ers with a parade of big plays. That, more than anything else, turned a potentially boisterous postgame locker room into a somber scene.
“They finished and that’s what we failed to do,” safety Jimmie Ward said. “The momentum was definitely on our side, but they made some plays and took it away.”
Three plays in particular stand out. To briefly review:
On 3rdand15 at the Kansas City 35yard line, with 7:13 left and the 49ers still leading by 10 points, Tyreek Hill somehow got preposterously wide open beyond San Francisco’s secondary.
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and Ward were closest to the play, which suddenly put the Chiefs on the 49ers’ 21yard line.
“That’s something we have to do better as a defense, and get off the field when we’re in that position,” safety Jaquiski Tartt said. “Who knows? If we get off the field there, it could be a different ballgame.”
Two plays later, on 3rdand 10, Mahomes threw another incompletion (toward Travis Kelce). But a pass interference penalty on Tarvarius Moore cost 20 yards, moved the ball to the 1 and set up a Kansas City touchdown, trimming the lead to 2017.
On the Chiefs’ next possession, wide receiver Sammy Watkins flatout beat cornerback Richard Sherman at the line of scrimmage. Mahomes connected with Watkins for 38 yards to reach the 10 and set up the goahead touchdown.
Many opposing offenses avoid Sherman altogether. The Chiefs went right at him, in a vital moment — and won.
Sherman dodged a mea culpa during his postgame session with reporters, but he later tweeted, “I wasn’t good enough tonight and I will fix it.”
These fourthquarter missteps show the fragility of even good, occasionally impenetrable defenses. Not every team can be the 1985 Chicago Bears, shuffling their way to
Super Bowl glory. That truly was a great defense.
The 49ers can find solace in the way they’re constructed, around a defensive line on which all four starters are 28 or younger. That bodes well for the seasons ahead.
“We’ll be back,” defensive end Dee Ford said. “We know the standard now. We have guys who work hard. We’ll take some time off and get right back to work, and we’ll close the deal next time.”
Still, trips to the Super Bowl are rare and precious. Holding a 10point Super Bowl lead, midway through the fourth quarter, is even more rare and precious.
So, even in the wake of an unexpectedly stirring season, Sunday’s implosion will linger in the memory of a proud defense.