2020 Super Bowl

The San Francisco 49ers suffered an epic collapse in the late stages of Super Bowl LIV, holding a 20-10 lead halfway through the fourth quarter that turned into a deficit by the two-minute warning and ended in a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The incredible Chiefs comeback will be the story of the game, but a penalty late in the first half wound up being a crucial missed opportunity for the 49ers, and the butterfly effect of the call had potential hidden ramifications for the final result, especially coupled with another close call later in the game.

The 49ers had a golden opportunity to take the lead over the Chiefs just before halftime of Super Bowl LIV. Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 42-yard pass to All-Pro tight end George Kittle that would have put the 49ers at the Chiefs' 13-yard line with six seconds to play. The play was called back, however, as Kittle was called for offensive pass interference on Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen that negated the team's longest pass play of the first half. The 10-yard penalty forced the 49ers to take a knee and go into halftime tied 10-10 with Kansas City.