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San Francisco 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk leaked out the essence of head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s message to the team after a 25-22 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Right now, you feel numb a little bit … and you don’t know what to say to your teammates other than … you appreciate them and you love them and you did some really good things together. Just gotta finish it,” Juszczyk told reporters on Sunday night.
A reporter then asked what Shanahan told them afterward, and Juszczyk confirmed “basically that”.
“There were no words … there’s nothing that can be said that’s gonna make me feel better right now, which is just it’s just the circumstances,” Juszczyk added, “and … we’re men that sign up for this and that’s, you know, what happens when you don’t win.”
“But what I really do love … that Kyle always emphasizes is that like win or lose, like we still we go out there and live,” Juszczyk continued.
The 49ers will have to live with the result at least until next season. San Francisco blew a 10-0 lead and couldn’t get enough separation in the second half as the Chiefs rallied twice to tie the game and force overtime.
“And … it’s hard to like put yourself out there on the biggest stage in the world … and come up short and then have to deal with, you know, what comes with that. It’s not easy,” Juszczyk said. “But it’s something that we’ll never back away from, something we’ll never back down from, and I take pride in that … you can say whatever you want like I’m gonna go do it again.”
Kyle Juszczyk: ‘You Got to Take It’
Having played in two Super Bowl losses with the 49ers, Juszczyk understands what’s needed to get over the hump to win a Lombardi Trophy.
“Super Bowls are won by taking it. … and, you know, we’ve seen that team take it [twice],” Juszczyk added, “and they did.”
San Francisco lost the Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. The 49ers had a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter of that game before the Chiefs scored three touchdowns to win 31-20.
This time around, mistakes in the third quarter cost the 49ers a 10-3 lead — failure to score after a turnover, a fumbled punt return, and a blocked extra point. Juszczyk didn’t want to minimize what the Chiefs did, however.
“I think they’re a very good defense, very good team,” Juszczyk said. “Like, I have a ton of respect for them. But I feel like — we hurt ourselves a lot, and I don’t want to say that to take anything away from them, because they’re a very good defense, but I think we could have done a lot better.”
Kyle Juszczyk Believed ‘We’re Going to Get the Ball Back’
Juszczyk had to watch from the sideline the Chiefs march down field for a game-winning touchdown, but he didn’t stop believing the 49ers defense would make a play until it was too late.
“My mindset was that we’re gonna get the ball back [and] we’re gonna have to go win again,” Juszczyk said. “So I tried to really not dwell on okay we’re about to win the game … I just tried to keep it emotionless.”
“Yeah 100 % that sucks. I have that process because I’ve been through it, but yeah, you do need to sit with it,” Juszczyk added. “And I think that’s just important for growth. And it’s always good to reflect.”
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