The San Francisco 49ers pursuit of their sixth Lombardi Trophy has been all documented, with Kyle Shanahan and members of the organization carrying the responsibilities on their shoulders. That’s why this time around, getting it done is a must.
The 49ers coach stressed the importance of completing the task at hand, particularly with this set of players. San Francisco has made the NFC Championship game three years in a row, losing the prior two contests before Sunday’s victory.
Now entering their second Super Bowl in five seasons, the time is now for the 49ers, with everyone fully aware of what the ultimate goal is.
“There’s been a lot of good things, but the ultimate goal, we always say it, there’s only one team happy at the end of the year,” Kyle Shanahan said Monday.
“We’re real proud of a lot of things that we’ve accomplished here in the last five years or so. We still want to be that one team that’s happy. No matter what you accomplish, if you don’t win that Super Bowl, it’s always disappointing.
“We’ve felt that, we’ve gotten close and we’re real proud that we’re back in this situation. But we also know how it feels when you don’t get it done. So we want to go and make sure to get it done this year.”
Shanahan and the 49ers are set for a rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, last meeting in The Big Game in 2020. The former lost that contest, 31-20, allowing quarterback Patrick Mahomes and KC to score 21 unanswered points on the Red & Gold.
The path to Super Bowl LIV was a bit different for the 49ers however, winning the NFC conference title over the Green Bay Packers handily, 37-20. This time around, the 49ers had to scrap and claw their way through two rounds, one against the Packers and another against the Detroit Lions.
Both 2024 victories came from behind, with the biggest deficit being by 17 points in the NFCCG. Sure, the 49ers would have like to dominate another playoff run to the Super Bowl. But SF is looking to use those hardened wins to their advantage in a rematch with an old foe.
“I always think when you go through stuff like this it hardens you and prepares you for any situation,” Shanahan stated.
“You want to be able to go through tons of games and be able to win games any way possible. I always feel we’re capable of winning a game any way possible, but it just hasn’t gone that way this year totally.
“So to get in some games like this, it’s just good experience for our players to go through it and to make sure to see how important it is to go through all four quarters, win or lose, that you’re never out of it.”
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers knew this season could be a long one back in May during OTAs.
Left with the taste of despair after quarterback Brock Purdy tore his UCL in the 2023 NFC Championship, SF went back to work with a mission in mind: It’s now or never.
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers have felt inches away from a Super Bowl for the past five years. But with each season, time ticks off the clock of a current roster construction. And with big contracts on the horizon, the group will see likely some changes after this season.
Which is why after so many years of knocking on the door, the goal remains steadfast until the job is done.
“Every year we start, we know that’s our goal,” Shanahan said.
“You always know when you have a true chance at that. We felt we’ve had a chance really every year since [the 2019 season].
“We kind of hit all those goals this year. We just hit our second to last one last night. We got one left. We would’ve been disappointed if we didn’t get to this point and we’re going to be disappointed if we don’t finish the job in two weeks.
“Hopefully we’ll end it the right way and take a few months off and do the same thing in training camp next year.”
