Lacking In Las Vegas: The biggest disappointments from Super Bowl LVIII

The NFL season ended with a dramatic conclusion in Super Bowl XLVIII, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime. While the finish will be talked about for a long time, there were moments during the contest that left fans scratching their heads. We’ll highlight those instances as fans get ready for the offseason. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Inexplicably, the San Francisco linebacker suffered an Achilles injury simply running out on to the field in the 1^st quarter. It was hard to believe that a non-contact ailment of that fashion could knock out of of the 49ers’ most important defensive players.

It’s hard to speculate, but Greenlaw’s absence potentially robbed the 49ers of another able-bodied player to stick with Travis Kelce. Greenlaw had a great 2023 campaign, registering 120 tackles on the year.

Tony Romo repeatedly mentioned the importance of San Francisco sticking with the ground game as the game wore on, but the 49ers decided to throw it more often down the stretch.

This was a curious decision, as the 49ers could have milked the clock a little more reliably by handing off to McCaffery than risking incompletions that stopped the clock.

The 49ers appeared to be well on their way to making a statement on the opening drive of the game, but McCaffery had the ball punched out.

While there was still plenty of time for San Francisco to recover, ending the possession on a sour note was a momentum killer that may have cost the NFC champions the Super Bowl later on.

Not to be outdone, Pacheco lost the ball in the red zone after the Chiefs seemed poised to score a touchdown after a long pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman. Like McCaffery’s gaffe, Pacheco’s error was surprising, as both backs had been tremendous heading into the Super Bowl.

Reid decided to substitute Kelce out during the play Pacheco fumbled, which left the tight end fuming mad. Kelce charged at an unprepared Reid, and bumped the coach after this decision. While Kansas City went on to win the game, it was a bit of an unflattering moment for the All-Pro tight end.

The narrative coming into Super Bowl XLVIII was whether Brock Purdy could handle the moment. His teammates were expected to help him get through the game, but Williams’ infractions in the 1st quarter left San Francisco behind the sticks. It was a self-inflicted mistake that the 49ers didn’t need.

Kansas City made a furious comeback in the second half and in overtime to win the Super Bowl, but their execution to begin the 3rd quarter was shaky. Their drive started with Mahomes’ errant pitch to Pacheco, who bobbled the ball, and had to fall on it for a loss. It was surprising to see them exit the locker room in this manner.

There was an element of bad luck on this play, as a Tommy Townsend punt grazed the back of 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter’s foot while he was blocking. San Francisco return man Ray-Ray McCloud tried to jump on the ball, but couldn’t secure it. This directly led to a Kansas City touchdown on the next play.

San Francisco fullback Kyle Jusczcyk made a catch while lunging for a first down in overtime, which caused him to lose the ball on the way down. It was ruled a completion, but there was enough uncertainty to have the play reviewed. However, the booth did not initiate a second look, and the play stood as called.

In the 4th quarter, Mahomes threw the ball away in the middle of the field after a low snap. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the area, and the Chiefs’ quarterback was in the pocket. There was no call for intentional grounding. Earlier in the game, Mahomes was called for the infraction when it appeared tight end Noah Gray was in the vicinity of his pass.

L’Jarius Sneed had a sensational season for Kansas City, but lost his cool in the 2nd quarter when he slapped San Francisco Brandon Aiyuk in the helmet. This gave the 49ers an automatic first down in a game that was starved for points at that juncture.

There was a belief that Travis Kelce might propose to Taylor Swift after a Chiefs victory in the Super Bowl. While the transcendent couple did embrace on the field after Kansas City’s victory, Kelce did not pop the question in the midst of the euphoria.

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