Super Bowl LIV: 49ers great Steve Young says you have to ‘tip your cap’ to the Chiefs

Everyone with a link to the San Francisco 49ers seemed disappointed after Super Bowl LIV and the fourth-quarter collapse that cost the franchise its sixth Vince Lombardy Trophy. That includes 49ers great and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area after the game.

Young gave credit where credit is due. The ESPN analyst believes things, for the most part, went as planned for the 49ers. They slowed down the Chiefs offense, at least initially. They were able to run the football even though they opted to move away from that in the end. They got a lead in the fourth quarter.

Still, it wasn't enough. The 49ers' fourth-quarter 20-10 lead evaporated as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points to pull off a 31-20 win.

"When that happens, more than anything, I think you tip your cap," Young said after the game. "The Chiefs did probably what [can] be done one in ten times under that kind of duress. And that Chiefs defense, I can't imagine they would do that again to the 49ers under that kind of duress, and shut them down three times, and get the ball back.

"So those odds weren't with them, and they made the plays. The big throw to Tyreek Hill, the big throw to (Sammy) Watkins, and Patrick Mahomes is just a -- I mean, that's it. In many ways, we just have to tip our caps to the Chiefs. They did it.

"We can grind through moments where, 'Oh, we should have done this. We should have done that. Why did that happen?' There weren't any big glaring mistakes. It's just someone took the last seven-and-a-half minutes of the Super Bowl and did us in."

As for the lack of mistakes, fans will debate that for much of the offseason, and possibly beyond. Head coach Kyle Shanahan's decision not to preserve more time with an earlier timeout before halftime will be discussed to a high degree.

The decision to move away from the run when the 49ers owned a 21-10 lead will be discussed, as well.

Young does note that there are probably moments and drives that Shanahan and the 49ers would like to have back, though. But he believes the team is young and among the best in the NFL.

"We just didn't close the game," Young added.

You can watch the entire interview with Young below.