This season feels like a complete loss without a Lombardi

Yeah, we know.

Yes.

I can empathize with many people on here....

Let me say a few things:

1) I was in 6th grade when the Niners lost to the Giants in the 1990 NFC Championship Game. Up to that point in my life, that was the toughest 49er loss I've ever seen. I cried as well (I was a kid, lol). In some ways it might be the most brutal loss in 49er history with the way Montana got knocked out, the grind of the game, the fumble, etc...

However, in the grand scheme of things, after all these years, I feel like the 2011 NFC Championship loss was worse. 1990 was a "go for a threepeat" year, and we were talking the end of a great part 1 of a dynasty with Montana, whereas 2011 was a resurgence like no other.

Had the Niners won it all in 2011, I'm telling you, it would've been the greatest thing ever. Even better than 2019 and probably anything under Shanny we can fathom. The underdog status was essentially a 30 year anniverary of 1981...

2) I've become numb to how hard it's been to win these games..........seems like one excuse after another. It's what's kept me from saying "we're definitely winning it all this year" even when the team hasn't been better post Steve Young.

3) There's only so much bad luck one team of this caliber can have -- the Niners WILL FIGURE IT OUT THIS YEAR. And the reason is Purdy & CMC combined will be the deciding factor that we didn't have in years prior....

Originally posted by JTsBiggestFan:
I can empathize with many people on here....

Let me say a few things:

1) I was in 6th grade when the Niners lost to the Giants in the 1990 NFC Championship Game. Up to that point in my life, that was the toughest 49er loss I've ever seen. I cried as well (I was a kid, lol). In some ways it might be the most brutal loss in 49er history with the way Montana got knocked out, the grind of the game, the fumble, etc...

However, in the grand scheme of things, after all these years, I feel like the 2011 NFC Championship loss was worse. 1990 was a "go for a threepeat" year, and we were talking the end of a great part 1 of a dynasty with Montana, whereas 2011 was a resurgence like no other.

Had the Niners won it all in 2011, I'm telling you, it would've been the greatest thing ever. Even better than 2019 and probably anything under Shanny we can fathom. The underdog status was essentially a 30 year anniverary of 1981...

2) I've become numb to how hard it's been to win these games..........seems like one excuse after another. It's what's kept me from saying "we're definitely winning it all this year" even when the team hasn't been better post Steve Young.

3) There's only so much bad luck one team of this caliber can have -- the Niners WILL FIGURE IT OUT THIS YEAR. And the reason is Purdy & CMC combined will be the deciding factor that we didn't have in years prior....

No shame in crying over a crushing loss like that,I used to cry over regular season losses lol.

if you can survive watching the 49ers from steve marriuci to chip kelly, you can do anything in this world you put your mind to.

Originally posted by picklejuice:
if you can survive watching the 49ers from steve marriuci to chip kelly, you can do anything in this world you put your mind to.

Chip Kelly's time in SF looked like little more than a payday for him.

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
This should be the year for several reasons.
1) The team has stayed relatively healthy for most of the year. I now we have so injuries now but not like past years.
2) Other teams are down this year. Eagles aren't playing as well and the Seahawks didn't have a good year.The Niners have the Cowboys number right now. The Lions probably aren't ready to challenge so the NFC should be there for the Niners.
3) The Chiefs and Bengals are having an off year so the Niners won't need to face them in the SB. Buffalo is too erratic. That leaves the Ravens who are tough but beatable if the 49ers don't turn the ball over.
4) This team still has a cheap QB that allows them to pay other good players. That window is going to close soon.
5) I'm getting older and want to see one more in my lifetime.

Totally agree here. The Baltimore loss actually makes me more confident, surprisingly. The more varied attacks Brock and Kyle see before the playoffs, the better. I don't want any surprises for them.

Just hoping we can win the next two and rest.

It appears that Kyle was suggesting that they should save their game plan for the Super Bowl, as there was no point in revealing their secrets with two or three linemen out.

Originally posted by NinerPrideinNJ:
I may be beating a dead horse here but, honestly, ever since the dark age of '03 to '10, each year the team has gone the past 13 years without a Lombardi has stung immensely.

2011: Felt like destiny. Then Kyle Williams happened. No need to rehash further; but seemed like the year. Absolutely brutal.
2012: Defense collapsed in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Despite going down big and the blackout, they still managed to get within a score and goal line situation. Rough.
2013: Again goal line/redzone situation and it's tipped and picked in the endzone against the hated Seahawks. How has this happened three years in a row?!

2014-2018: Dark Ages Part 2. 2018 felt like we turned the corner, until week 2 or 3 when JImmy G tore his ACL. Snake bitten.

2019: Again feels like destiny; team is on an absolute tear. Destroys Minny and GB but runs into KC and battles horrendous officiating, and a team-wide crumble in the 4th quarter. This one hurt the most since the 2011 NFC CG.

2021: They go on an absolute surge mid- to end the season. Insanely memorable games. The GB snow game ranks up there with one of the all-time greats. Cinderella story ends against LA in the Championship game; as usual, in the waning moment; excruciating fashion.

2022: I'll make it short. Another Cinderella story mixed with immense talent. Lance: done in Week 2. Jimmy G inexplicably back on the team leads them and has his best season since 2019...until he goes down. Enter Brock Purdy. We all know the rest...again, another NFC CG loss, but this one is the worst since the Giants in 2011...because we never saw what could have been.

So here we are. 2023. The best team this franchise has ever fielded since 1994.

If any of those previous years, from 2011-present day, yielded just a single trophy, it wouldn't feel so desperate...at least to me. But they didn't. There could have been several. There've been none. I was nine years old when they won in 94. Feels like an eternity.

So as wonderful as this season has been; it just feels like it's unfinished business, and none of it matters without a trophy at the end.

Anyone else just feel like they need to see just ONE again, and then they're good for a long time and the heartbreak of these other seasons wouldn't sting so bad? Maybe it's just me. Hoping they finally turn the corner this year. We're due and holy hell, has it been a gut-wrenching journey that's fallen painfully short the past decade.

Did you know it took the 49ers 35 long years before winning thier first world championship?

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Yeah it's a loss without a Super Bowl win for sure. #1 talent in the league. Something tells me we get bounced in the playoffs too. A Shanahan special tradition.

Unbelievable....

Originally posted by WestCoastForever:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Yeah it's a loss without a Super Bowl win for sure. #1 talent in the league. Something tells me we get bounced in the playoffs too. A Shanahan special tradition.

Unbelievable....

Well that was before today's game and I was feeling very bad about things. I feel somewhat better now.

I hate that Baltimore Ravens linger in my mind. For that matter, Cleveland and Cincinnati. I think we have a clear shot at the SB... can we make some adjustments to beat an AFC team when it counts?

Originally posted by mattster03:
I hate that Baltimore Ravens linger in my mind. For that matter, Cleveland and Cincinnati. I think we have a clear shot at the SB... can we make some adjustments to beat an AFC team when it counts?

I think we can. We have to run on those teams. Control the ball, the clock and not put so much pressure to pass. Especially with the Browns and Ravens. The DB adjustments and defense adjustments should be better in the pass game like what we suffered against the Bengals. I think the Bengals get bounced anyway. They aren't that great. Don't turn it over so much and we can compete with the Ravens. We had a lot of guys injured vs the Browns. We can play better than that too.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by mattster03:
I hate that Baltimore Ravens linger in my mind. For that matter, Cleveland and Cincinnati. I think we have a clear shot at the SB... can we make some adjustments to beat an AFC team when it counts?

I think we can. We have to run on those teams. Control the ball, the clock and not put so much pressure to pass. Especially with the Browns and Ravens. The DB adjustments and defense adjustments should be better in the pass game like what we suffered against the Bengals. I think the Bengals get bounced anyway. They aren't that great. Don't turn it over so much and we can compete with the Ravens. We had a lot of guys injured vs the Browns. We can play better than that too.

Just don't turn the ball over 5 times. We do that and it is a guaranteed win.

Originally posted by swoosh6996:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by mattster03:
I hate that Baltimore Ravens linger in my mind. For that matter, Cleveland and Cincinnati. I think we have a clear shot at the SB... can we make some adjustments to beat an AFC team when it counts?

I think we can. We have to run on those teams. Control the ball, the clock and not put so much pressure to pass. Especially with the Browns and Ravens. The DB adjustments and defense adjustments should be better in the pass game like what we suffered against the Bengals. I think the Bengals get bounced anyway. They aren't that great. Don't turn it over so much and we can compete with the Ravens. We had a lot of guys injured vs the Browns. We can play better than that too.

Just don't turn the ball over 5 times. We do that and it is a guaranteed win.

We probably can win the game if we turn it over 2 times instead of 5. Certainly with zero turnovers.

Originally posted by JTsBiggestFan:
I can empathize with many people on here....

Let me say a few things:

1) I was in 6th grade when the Niners lost to the Giants in the 1990 NFC Championship Game. Up to that point in my life, that was the toughest 49er loss I've ever seen. I cried as well (I was a kid, lol). In some ways it might be the most brutal loss in 49er history with the way Montana got knocked out, the grind of the game, the fumble, etc...

However, in the grand scheme of things, after all these years, I feel like the 2011 NFC Championship loss was worse. 1990 was a "go for a threepeat" year, and we were talking the end of a great part 1 of a dynasty with Montana, whereas 2011 was a resurgence like no other.

Had the Niners won it all in 2011, I'm telling you, it would've been the greatest thing ever. Even better than 2019 and probably anything under Shanny we can fathom. The underdog status was essentially a 30 year anniverary of 1981...

2) I've become numb to how hard it's been to win these games..........seems like one excuse after another. It's what's kept me from saying "we're definitely winning it all this year" even when the team hasn't been better post Steve Young.

3) There's only so much bad luck one team of this caliber can have -- the Niners WILL FIGURE IT OUT THIS YEAR. And the reason is Purdy & CMC combined will be the deciding factor that we didn't have in years prior....

Very similar experiences for me. I was 16 in 1990 and still cried lol. That loss was brutal for all the reasons you mentioned. I also agree that 2011 was worse, it just felt like OUR year, the magic was back. I was at that game with my brothers, had seats at about the 20 yard line so we had a perfect view of both Kyle Williams gaffes and the game winning field goal. Sickening loss. That year was the only Super Bowl in my lifetime that I couldn't even watch.

This year feels like 1994 to me. Dominant team, special talent everywhere, blowing people out. I do NOT fear the Ravens nor any team from the AFC. We just need to play a clean game and commit to running the football (with more than just CMC). Honestly if we get today's version of Elijah Mitchell for the playoff run, we will walk to a Super Bowl victory. CMC/Mitchell one-two punch with Purdy's passing is unstoppable.