The 49ers got the ball first in Super Bowl LVIII and it looked like they would cruise to points as they needed just four plays to move the ball inside the Chiefs’ 30-yard-line, but they wouldn’t be able to get on the scoreboard.
Running back Christian McCaffrey fumbled after a hit by Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive end George Karlaftis recovered to end the first 49ers possession of the day. McCaffrey would go on to catch a touchdown pass and he finished the day with 160 yards from scrimmage, but he said in his postgame press conference that his thoughts about the game focused on one thing.
“Just can’t put the ball on the ground,” McCaffrey said.
Later in the press conference, McCaffrey offered more reflections on how it felt to lose in his first trip to the Super Bowl.
“It hurts deep,” McCaffrey said. “It’s something that you dream about as a kid. You’ve worked so hard for all year and come up short. I think you just have to go through all the emotions as they come, but each day just chip away getting back to normal. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. It’s still fresh and it still sucks.”
McCaffrey noted that “self-inflicted wounds” hurt the 49ers all night. His fumble was the first of them and it set the tone for what was to come over the rest of the evening.