Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, is unable to catch a pass while defended by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
David J. Phillip, Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Fred Warner came up short again.
So, too, did Mitch Wishnowsky.
That was the somber end of another frustratingly close loss for the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs — this time, it came in the form of a 25-22 overtime loss in the 2024 Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
It wasn’t for lack of trying: the 49ers led for much of the game before the Chiefs won with three seconds left in overtime on a 3-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.
But the sting is still there, regardless.
“It’s tough. Not much to be sad about really,” Warner said. “I mean, we had every opportunity to win that game, and we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, so, you know, my hats off to Kansas City.”
Warner led San Francisco with a game-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops.
He wasn’t perfect — on a late-fourth quarter pass, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce beat the former BYU linebacker on a third-and-7 play for a 22-yard gain that put Kansas City in position to potentially win the game in regulation.
On the next play, Mahomes went to Kelce again, but this time, Warner, the four-year 49ers captain, won the battle, knocking the pass away in the end zone.
That forced a game-tying field goal that forced the extra session.
After San Francisco scored on a field goal on the first possession in overtime, the Chiefs responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that featured a fourth-down conversion and a pair of third-down conversions.
“I mean, we strained as you know as long as we could,” Warner said. “We still had an opportunity at the end there had we had a body on Hardman, but you know, that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
Wishnowsky, the former Utah All-American punter, got plenty of action during the first two-plus quarters, as both teams struggled offensively.
He ended up punting the ball five times for a 50.8 average, with a long of 55. One of Wishnowsky’s punts was downed at the Kansas City 2 in the third quarter, one of three he pinned inside the 20.
Still, for Warner and Wishnowsky, it’s another frustrating loss in the Super Bowl, four years after the same thing happened against Kansas City.