San Francisco will play Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, but they are still thinking about their Super Bowl LIV loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. On NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco's newest episode of “49ers Talk,” star linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw recalled their first Super Bowl game against the Chiefs.
“Honestly, it seems like forever ago,” Greenlaw said Maiocco. “But the feeling and everything seems recent. I felt young and new to it looking back. In retrospect, that was just four years ago. The exhilaration of everything was tremendous.
Everything over the week and then being on the field and realizing, ‘OK, it’s like all these stars on the field and everything.’" Star-struck was my main feeling.”
Greenlaw, a rookie during the 49ers' previous Super Bowl run, was naturally awed by sports' finest stars. Despite four tackles The talent on the field impressed Greenlaw in San Francisco's 31-20 loss to Kansas City. Luckily, Warner has helped Greenlaw acquire experience since Super Bowl LIV.
“It does feel like there’s been so much that’s happened since that game,” Warner told Maiocco. “Since then, so much has happened with [Greenlaw] and me. If I close my eyes and think of [Super Bowl LIV], I can return immediately. It seems like yesterday. You work hard every year. As a rookie in your second season, [Greenlaw], you think, "Man, this is so awesome." We'll return annually. Our chance awaits. It doesn't function like that.
That game is hard to get to and much difficult to win. The fact that we are here and have this opportunity again shows how hard it was to get here. How could you not give it your best and finish it right?”
Warner had seven tackles, an interception, and a deflected throw in the 49ers' 2020 defeat to the Chiefs. The sixth-year pro understands how difficult it is to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win.
Warner and Greenlaw provide years of top-level football expertise and comfort. The 49ers want to win their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy with the two at their best.
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