San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan struggled for words after his team's heartbreaking loss at Super Bowl LVIII.
The 49ers came close to ending their 29-year wait for a national championship, but they lost 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. The Chiefs managed to score a late field goal to make it 19-19 and keep the big game alive for a little while longer.
The 49ers regained their lead but couldn't hold on, as MVP Patrick Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for a late touchdown to secure another Super Bowl win for the Chiefs. That allowed Mahomes and his teammates to enjoy a well-deserved after party.
The Chiefs have now won three of the last five Super Bowls, with two of those victories coming against the 49ers. Since Shanahan took over in 2017, the 49ers have not only lost two Super Bowls but also two NFC Championship games.
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After the game, Shanahan spoke to CBS about his team's latest disappointment. When asked what he said to his players in the locker room after Sunday's game, Shanahan replied: "There's no right words right now. It hurts. Everybody understands that.
"We knew it would hurt if it came to this, but I'm just proud of our guys. They put themselves out there. They played their tails off. They played through a lot of stuff. It's something we've got to live with, but I know it's something we can handle.
"We're all pretty disappointed right now. But if we're going to lose to anyone, I want to lose to those guys, man."
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The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl (Getty Images)The 49ers went into Sunday's match tipped mildly to win after having the best regular season record in the NFC (12-5). The Chiefs finished third overall in the AFC (11-6), but they arrived at the Super Bowl in superb form following two road playoff wins.
When queried about the difference between his team and the Chiefs in Las Vegas, a somber 49ers coach Shanahan pointed to Mahomes' late game-winning opportunity - one he seized after surviving a fourth down earlier in the offence.
Shanahan commented: "I'd of loved to have scored a touchdown there at the end, not give Pat another chance. We had our opportunity to get them off the field at fourth down, we didn't (take it). Passed on that a bunch. He (Mahomes) does it almost all the time.
"It was a hard fought game, a lot like we thought it would go. (We) had our chances there and didn't get it done."
Meanwhile, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid proudly told journalists: "Our defense played out of their mind. Our offense just kept persevering - kept pushing and pushing. I am so proud of the whole crew."
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Mahomes added: "The defense kept us in there, with the offense making plays when it counted. I'm just so proud of the guys. I know we're going to celebrate tonight, but we're not done. We've got a young team and we're going to keep this thing going."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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