MCaffrey was great, as usual, but never broke a big play except for the dipsy doodle play to score the first touchdown. Deebo, I think, lost a step after he went out with an ankle injury, apparently had it taped and came back a few plays later.

As for Dre Greenlaw, he blew out his achilles tendon running onto the field... can't blame that on the defensive coordinator. And missing him was definitely a factor in the overtime drive that won it for KC.

That took them off their game plan a few times. Handing off to McCaffrey is way better when you're not backed up five or ten yards.

Fouls killed them, though many of those 3rd quarter drives featured passing calls exclusively. K.C. was also reportedly 31st in in the league when defending the outside zone, so why didn't the 49ers focus their running attack there?

coverage if they let me see. A lot of the time what's on TV won't let me. They need to be zoomed out a little more. I know the Chiefs were playing man most of the time though. If he had time, guys were open. Purdy didn't get much of a chance to take off running. More short passes to Kittle may have loosed things up for him.

It didn't make sense. Coverage was good and Purdy was pressured. Run the goddamn ball.

a few times. Not the worst idea. McCaffrey can pull that off, but once or twice a game when it's going your way.

Too many times Purdy was throwing off his back foot and could have had a big gain if he'd had another half-second.

It seemed to me that their main path to winning was run set up to allow Purdy to play within himself. I was sort of expecting the 49ers to outplay KC but for KC's coaching to find a way to win. I don't keep up with game time personnel/depth, obviously, but I don't understand play callers wariness of forcing running with the same enthusiasm as they force passing.

But Samuel was banged-up coming into the game, giving Shanahan ample time to devise a back-up strategy. I don't know why we didn't see Samuel used more as a decoy and/or run blocker, substituting his running plays using Jauan Jennings (this guy is a beast) or employing more misdirection outside sweeps with back-up RB Elijah Mitchel or FB Kyle Juszczyk complementing McCaffrey. The idea would have been to spread out the K.C. defense line, buying a little more time for passing plays.

My takeaway -- it was a total team loss. San Francisco blew it on defense, offense, and special teams.

1) Nick Bosa said in post game interviews the defense wasn't totally prepared for Kansas City.

2) Ray Ray McCloud's epic boneheaded stunt trying to pick-up and run on a touched punt return rather than falling on the ball. K.C. recovered on the 49ers 20 and scored a TD on the next play.

3) Offensive line penalties and missed blocks

4) Questionable play calling

Thanks - Lynch must be pretty frustrated.

Hard to stop the arguably best QB of all time when you've lost half of your elite linebacker corps. I didn't expect Wilkes to survive after some of the bonehead plays he's called at certain points during the season.

I mean they did.

I remember some commentary during the season that he wasn’t clicking into their scheme. I think he was on shaky ground but he did get them to the SB and he did keep an NFL team under 20 which is hard to do.

Nick Bosa especially expressed his frustration with the defense in postgame interviews.

When Bosa speaks, the front office listens.

I think the injuries became insurmountable and Wilks and the assistants couldn't handle them. Three impact players: Safety Talanoa Hufanga (torn ACL) mid-season, DE Ferrell in Week 18 (knee) and Greenlaw (he had been nursing that sore Achilles' for weeks before it tore in the SB).

....with a blocked/missed kick?