SAN FRANCISCO – 2.12.2024
UPDATE – The Athletic writes some 49ers didn’t know the overtime rules.
https://theathletic.com/5269985/2024/02/12/49ers-super-bowl-overtime-rules
Some San Francisco 49ers players said following the team’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that they were unaware of the overtime rules that allowed for both teams to possess the ball.
Lee Heidhues 2.11.2024
As BB King sang, The Thrill is Gone. This time for the San Francisco 49ers. Shocked in Vegas.
The 49ers bring something akin to heartbreak for their fans. During the past several seasons they’ve come oh so close. Two Super Bowl appearances and four times in the NFC championship game.
Yet they can’t make the final leap.
The 49ers Super Bowl hopes have been dashed once again. By the Kansas City Chiefs.
This time in Las Vegas. In overtime no less. Only the second overtime in Super Bowl history. The score was 25-22.
The media and many fans will blame kicker Jake Moody who missed an extra point. Which might have made the difference in regulation time. But, having said that, Jake also made three field goals. Two of which were over 50 yards.
The 49ers in regulation time made long drives and had to settle for field goals. Likewise in overtime. Had the 49ers made one more first down just over two minutes remaining in regulation time they could have run down the clock. Attempted a field goal and probably won the Super Bowl in regulation time.
It was not to be.
I turned off my App when the game started at 3:30PM. Including a g’zillion commercials, a long halftime show and overtime the game ended disastrously for the 49er faithful at 8:00PM.
Of course there have been some glory moments in 49er history. Five Super Bowls. I attended the Super Bowl in 1985 at Stanford Stadium when the Niners, led by Joe Montana, scored three TDs in the 2nd quarter and demolished the Miami Dolphins 38-16.
I was at The Catch game in January 1982 when Dwight Clark broke the Dallas Cowboys heart and sent the Niners to their first Super Bowl.
Sadly for much of the past decades there has been too much frustration and heartbreak. I think of more than 10 years ago when Richard Sherman intercepted Colin Kapernick’s pass in the end zone in the final seconds. Sending archrival Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. I was so upset I retreated to my downstairs bathroom and furiously scrubbed out the bathtub.
In 2024 I just unhappily and disgustedly exited the kitchen quietly. Came downstairs and folded my clean wash.
I must ask myself why the 49ers have had such a hold on me. I went to my first game at Kezar Stadium when I was nine years old. A year later I witnessed my first heartbreak when the Niners lost to Detroit in a playoff game 27-31. after leading 27-7 in the third quarter.
I possessed season tickets for two years when I was in high school. A season ticket for seven games was only $31.50. In adulthood I attended several games at Candlestick Park. So, as I look back on my life I can glance backwards and remember it all.
Kansas City is definitely excellent. Their quarterback Patrick Mahomes is top notch. The coach Andy Reid, early in his career, coach at San Francisco State University in the 1980’s.
In 2026 the Super Bowl will be played at Levi’s Stadium. So, if the Niners make it in 2026 the game will be home field advantage for the locals.
Top photo: Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 15, and wide receiver Montrell Washington, 12, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25 to 22 in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Lee's Perspective 