The San Francisco 49ers had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV, with a sixth Super Bowl title in their sights. Of course, NFL fans know what happened in the final minutes of that game as the Kansas City Chiefs went on to capture the title, leaving the 49ers heartbroken -- even though it was one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan knows his team is good enough to win a Super Bowl, and raised those expectations for a team that already has a target on their back.
"I know we were good enough to win that Super Bowl and we didn't, and that's something we have to live with," Shanahan said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "And that's why the state of the franchise right now is we got to get right back to that moment. We got to get right back to that fourth quarter and get to have a lead and we got to finish the job.
"We had as good of an opportunity as you can ever have to be a champion, and we came up just short, so that's by all means what we're going for this year."
The 49ers will look to buck the trend of Super Bowl losers in the NFC, as recent history shows the NFC team that loses the Super Bowl doesn't come close toward reaching the championship game the following season. The Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys are the only NFC teams to lose a Super Bowl and return the following year, but both teams accomplished the feat in the 1970s in 14-game seasons.
Here's how the NFC Super Bowl losers fared in the following season:
2019: Los Angeles Rams -- 9-7 (missed playoffs)
2017: Atlanta Falcons -- 10-6 (lost NFC divisional round)
2016: Carolina Panthers -- 6-10 (missed playoffs)
2015: Seattle Seahawks -- 10-6 (lost NFC divisional round)
2013: San Francisco 49ers -- 12-4 (lost NFC Championship Game)
2009: Arizona Cardinals -- 10-6 (lost NFC divisional round)
2007: Chicago Bears -- 7-9 (missed playoffs)
2006: Seattle Seahawks -- 9-7 (lost NFC divisional round)
2005: Philadelphia Eagles -- 6-10 (missed playoffs)
2004: Carolina Panthers -- 7-9 (missed playoffs)
2002: St. Louis Rams -- 7-9 (missed playoffs)
2001: New York Giants -- 7-9 (missed playoffs)
1999: Atlanta Falcons -- 5-11 (missed playoffs)
1998: Green Bay Packers -- 11-5 (lost NFC wild card round)
1984: Washington Redskins - 11-5 (lost NFC divisional round)
1981: Philadelphia Eagles -- 10-6 (lost NFC wild card round)
1980: Los Angeles Rams -- 11-5 (lost NFC wild card round)
1979: Dallas Cowboys -- 11-5 (lost NFC divisional round)
1977: Minnesota Vikings -- 9-5 (lost NFC Championship Game)
1976: Dallas Cowboys -- 11-3 (lost NFC divisional round)
1975: Minnesota Vikings -- 12-2 (lost NFC divisional round)
1974: Minnesota Vikings -- 10-4 (lost Super Bowl IX)
1973: Washington Redskins -- 10-4 (lost NFC divisional round)
1971: Dallas Cowboys -- 11-3 (won Super Bowl)
1970: Minnesota Vikings -- 12-2 (lost NFC divisional round)
1969: Baltimore Colts -- 8-5-1 (missed playoffs)
Shanahan and the 49ers clearly have to break a 49-year streak if they wish to win the Super Bowl this year. Only the Cowboys have lost a Super Bowl representing the NFC and won the championship the following year, proving how difficult it is toward accomplishing the task.
