In the dying seconds of Super Bowl LVIII, as the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their victory, Kyle Shanahan stood on the sideline, a look of disbelief etched on his face. The San Francisco 49ers‘ head coach had just watched his team fumble away another championship opportunity, quite literally. It was a moment that seemed to encapsulate Shanahan’s entire Super Bowl experience – so close, yet so painfully far.

Mark Schlereth, three-time Super Bowl champion and host of “The Stinkin Truth” podcast didn’t mince words when dissecting Shanahan’s performance in that particular match. “There’s a lot of questions about taking the ball first,” Schlereth said, referring to the 49ers’ decision in overtime. “I thought that was a mistake. I thought that was a coaching blunder.”

In the book of Super Bowl letdowns by Shanahan, this is the latest stumble. This is a story that has become an all too familiar refrain for 49ers fans who had to witness their team’s defeat in another big game two times in five years. As Schlereth questioned, “Can they finish the deal? There have been questions about Kyle Shanahan’s late game management going back to his Atlanta days.”

Shanahan continues to be haunted by  Super Bowl ghosts. In the very memorable Super Bowl LI, his Atlanta Falcons gave up a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. His 49ers, a few years later, were defeated by the Chiefs as Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. couldn’t turn the game in their favor. Patrick Mahomes changed the game in the last 6:13 with a crucial 21 points as the team registered a 31-20 victory. On a sad note, it happened again in 2024.

NFL Research highlights a troubling trend: Shanahan is now the fifth coach in NFL history to lose his first three Super Bowl appearances as a head coach or coordinator. Even more concerning? None of the previous four ever managed to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. It’s a stat that hangs over Shanahan like a dark cloud, threatening to define his otherwise impressive coaching career.

Analyzing Kyle Shanahan’s heartbreaking Super Bowl defeats

Shanahan’s performance at the Super Bowl is not impressive based on the figures available. In his two appearances as head coach at the biggest stage in football, Shanahan has been outscored by a total margin of 46-0 during fourth quarter and overtime play. It is such statistics that transform ‘genius’ calling coaches into Monday morning quarterbacks.

Shanahan’s much-vaunted offense stuttered when it mattered most against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIV. These offensive blunders resulted in them making six first downs over seven drives while they were forced to punt four times with two instances of giving away possession and failing to convert their fourth down attempt. That starkly contrasted with earlier displays of dominance throughout the year that left people asking “Where’s the beef”.

This year’s loss stings even more. The 49ers held a 10-point lead in the third quarter, only to watch it slip away like sand through an hourglass. Schlereth zeroed in on a critical moment: “How you bust a protection and not block 95 [Chris Jones] and you end up having to throw an incomplete pass and kick a field goal and give the ball to Mahomes… you know every snap you’re in four-down territory.”

Despite the setbacks, Shanahan’s players remain in his corner. All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner praised his coach’s ability to adapt earlier this year to AP News: “Every year, going into every season there’s always something new that we have to work on to get better at to attain what we’re trying to do here. That’s something that he has done a great job of every year, just continuing to get better as a coach and a leader for us.”

As the 49ers look ahead to the 2024 season, the question remains: Can Kyle Shanahan finally shake off the ghosts of Super Bowls past and lead this talented roster to the elusive glory? Or will he join the likes of Marv Levy and Bud Grant – brilliant coaches who could never quite get over the hump? As they say in football, “Any given Sunday.”