49ers' Deebo Samuel: Super Bowl Loss '1 of the Biggest Heartbreaks You Can Deal With'

Nearly two weeks removed from their 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58, the San Francisco 49ers are still processing their feelings after being so close to reaching the top of the mountain.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel called the loss "one of the biggest heartbreaks you can deal with."

Samuel explained the feeling of that defeat "would go away then it hit me again and it's just like it don't even feel real."

The 49ers have been so close to winning the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1994 season several times in recent years. They lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 after the 2019 season.

After being decimated by injuries in 2020 that kept them out of the playoffs, the 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They lost both times on the road.

This season saw the 49ers secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. They were able to get by tough tests from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.

San Francisco played a better game against the Chiefs than in either of the previous two games against NFC opponents, but it still wasn't good enough to come out on top.

The 49ers have blown double-digit leads in three of their last four playoff losses, including two in the fourth quarter. They were up 20-10 over the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 before getting outscored 21-0 in the final seven minutes.

They had a 17-7 lead in the 2021 NFC Championship Game, but the Los Angeles Rams scored the final 13 points of the game.

Super Bowl 58 saw the 49ers take a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. They went ahead by three points with 1:53 remaining in regulation on Jake Moody's 53-yard field goal, but Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs down for the game-tying field goal in the final seconds to force overtime.

San Francisco scored on the opening possession of overtime, but the offense had to settle for a field goal after driving inside Kansas City's 10-yard line. The Chiefs responded with a 13-play drive that ended with Mahomes' three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman for the win.