Where did the 49ers go wrong? Key moments from the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss

Mahomes’ rushing touchdown late in the first quarter

49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander bit on run action as Patrick Mahomes turned the other way and wound up getting Jaquiski Tartt in one-on-one coverage with Damien Williams as a pitch option, allowing Mahomes an easy score. It came after a successful fourth-and-1 direct snap to Damian Williams after Mahomes was thumped by Jimmie Ward at the end of a third-down run in which he fumbled backwards.

Mahomes touchdown capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive following a three-and-out on the first series. It took 7:26 minutes of game time.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s mistake

Garoppolo’s second interception of the postseason came immediately following the Chiefs’ first-quarter touchdown. It started by Garoppolo side stepping defensive tackle Chris Jones. Then Garoppolo was plunked by Mike Pennel. Garoppolo flung his pass toward the sideline with Deebo Samuel in the area, but the hit took the velocity out of the pass, and Bashaud Breeland made the easy interception.

It led to a 31-yard field goal from Harrison Butker to make it 10-3 with 9:32 remaining in the first half.

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk dives in

The 49ers responded with an impressive scoring drive that featured consecutive runs of 11, 17 and 11 yards, and run-pass option to Deebo Samuel that put the 49ers at the 15-yard line. The Kyle Shanahan dialed up play action, calling on Kyle Juszczyk to get isolated against safety Daniel Sorensen. Juszczyk broke the tackle and dove into the end zone for the game-tying score.

It was a strong response. Seven plays and 80 yards while Kansas City’s defense offered little resistance. At that point, the 49ers had 84 yards rushing to 69 through the air.

Shanahan’s decision at the end of the first half

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan decided against using his three timeouts at the end of the first half after forcing a Chiefs punt near midfield. He could have stopped the clock with 1:53 remaining, instead letting the Chiefs punt at 1:08. Then San Francisco played it conservatively starting with two runs, and then got a 20-yard screen to Jeff Wilson Jr., putting them at their 45 with 14 seconds left and two timeouts.

Then Garoppolo threw a brilliant pass to George Kittle for an apparent 42-yard gain at the Chiefs’ 13-yard line with 6 seconds remaining. Only Kittle pushed off Sorensen with his right arm and was flagged for pass interference.

It appeared to be a penalty by the letter of the law, but it’s also a play that often goes uncalled. Kittle appeared to have Sorensen beat either way.

The 49ers wound up kneeling out the first half instead of kicking a field goal. Shanahan clearly wanted to avoid giving the ball back to Mahomes before the end of the first half, particularly since the Chiefs had all three of their timeouts. However, the 49ers averaged 7.7 yards per play to that point, and were coming off their impressive touchdown drive a series prior.

Perhaps Garoppolo’s interception earlier colored Shanahan’s decision making at that point. The two teams hit halftime tied, 10-10.

Mahomes picked by Warner

Mahomes threw his first career postseason interception after the 49ers opened the second half with a field goal. It came a snap after Nick Bosa forced a fumble Mahomes fell on. Mahomes, on third-and-12, looked for Tyreek Hill as he was pressured by Arik Armstead.

The pass went right to linebacker Fred Warner. It led to San Francisco driving 55 yards on six quick plays, with Raheem Mostert slamming it in from 1 yard out to give the 49ers a 20-10 lead with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter.

It was Mahomes’ first interception in 164 pass attempts in the playoffs, and just his sixth of the playoffs.

Moore takes away a scoring chance away

The Chiefs were driving into 49ers’ territory, getting to the 23-yard line after Mahomes scrambled for 13 yards following a DeForest Buckner sack. Then Mahomes slung a pass behind Tyreek Hill on a third down, and Hill batted it into the air, allowing second-year safety Tarvarius Moore to make his first career interception.

It gave San Francisco the ball at their 20. Though it led to the 49ers’ first punt of the game.

Mahomes magic

The 49ers crowd was starting to get ramped up after Hill had a completion overturned via replay, setting up a third-and-15.

Then Mahomes did what he does. In the face of pressure from DeForest Buckner, Mahomes flinged a deep shot to an open Tyreek Hill for 44 yards.

Two plays later, Moore was called for a pass interference against Travis Kelce just inside the goal line. Mahomes rolled right and found Kelce for a touchdown on the next play to make it 20-17 with 6:13 left.

This story was originally published February 2, 2020 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Where did the 49ers go wrong? Key moments from the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss."