It has been four years since the 49ers lost Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs, but San Francisco will have its opportunity for revenge as the two teams face each other again during Super Bowl LVIII in a couple of weeks.
Brock Purdy was only a sophomore at Iowa State when a Jimmy Garoppolo-led San Francisco team lost in Miami, but the 49ers quarterback understands not only what the game means to himself, but his teammates who were there for the loss as well.
"What a challenge," Purdy told reporters after the 49ers' 34-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. "You've got [Patrick] Mahomes and what he does, and their team, they're special, man. They've proven that over however many years he's been there.
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"So for us to be able to go back and play them is going to be sweet. It's going to be special for all of us. And I wasn't here, obviously, in '19. But, you can just tell the guys that have been here, if anybody, it would be special for them to play these guys, so I'm excited to be a part of it."
Both the 49ers and Chiefs won their respective conference championships Sunday, with Kansas City sending the Baltimore Ravens home with a 17-10 road win in the AFC. The Chiefs and Ravens played first, so the 49ers knew Mahomes would be waiting for them in Las Vegas as soon as their NFC title game was over.
After consecutive come-from-behind wins in their first two NFL playoff games this postseason, 49ers tight end George Kittle believes San Francisco is prepared for the challenge of facing what has become a Kansas City dynasty.
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"Nothing like the playoffs to try to win from behind multiple times for the first time of the season," Kittle told reporters after Sunday's game. "Can I beat the Chiefs that way? You know, you never want to give Patrick Mahomes the lead, and he's a fantastic football player. Probably is no doubt one of the best to ever do it. Him and Travis [Kelce] have, what, 19 touchdowns in the playoffs? They know how to win big games.
"They've won it twice, so, would [playing from behind again] be good for us? Probably not. I believe in the team to be able to win in any circumstance. We proved it again tonight, and that's a fun thing to say."
All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa famously was seen in tears on the sideline after the 49ers lost Super Bowl LIV his rookie season, and it's safe to say he's looking forward to the rematch.
"It's perfect," Bosa told reporters Sunday. "It's perfect, and they're as great as an organization -- coach, quarterback -- as there is, and they were down, not looking great this year, either, and they're playing their best ball now. So, it's going to be a big challenge."
As the 49ers look to hoist the franchise's sixth Lombardi Trophy, Mahomes, Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs are equally as hungry for back-to-back championships.
And while the odds are in San Francisco's favor, finally reaching the summit of the NFL mountaintop certainly will be a challenge against a battle-tested Kansas City team.
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