George Kittle Reveals Which Super Bowl Loss to Chiefs Hurt Him More
Discussing the two Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs is something no player on the San Francisco 49ers likes to do.
Unfortunately for George Kittle, he was recently asked about those games while appearing on the Unbuttoned podcast with Chris Simms.
Kittle was asked which of the two Super Bowl losses to the Chiefs hurt him most. His answer might surprise you.
This Super Bowl Loss Hurt Kittle the Most
“The first one hurt more,” Kittle said, referring to the game in Miami Gardens over six years ago. “I felt like I was primed to have a great game that one. I was as healthy as I could possibly be for a February game. And it was just one of the most fun seasons I’ve had on a team.
“Starting the season off 9-0, and the majority of the guys there were guys I’d played with for three years already, and I felt like we had all gone through the buildup together. Guys like DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Jimmie Ward, Richard Sherman, Joe Staley. Those guys felt like they were brothers to me.”
This makes perfect sense for Kittle to choose the Super Bowl from six years ago over the one from over two years ago. Usually, the first heartbreak is always the worst.
And a lot of times, when a professional athlete wins their first championship, they always cite that one as their favorite if they have won more than one.
But the fact that Kittle mentions those players who are “brothers” to him makes it even more special and devastating. You can tell he not only wanted to win it for himself, but for them.
Those players were the veterans of the team and meant so much to Kittle during his development. It was a special bond, so it makes sense that it stings him more that he couldn’t help them win a Super Bowl.
Why the Second Loss Hurt Less
As for the last loss that occurred in Las Vegas, that one obviously is brutal for Kittle, but there’s a reason he doesn’t cite that one as the worst loss.
“I was just so banged up for that game,” Kittle said. “I was maybe playing at like seventy percent, but it’s the Super Bowl, so you’re not going to not play in it.”
In one game, Kittle was healthy and had growth with several teammates. In the other, he was banged up and didn’t go through turbulent times with his teammates.
The 2020 Super Bowl was more meaningful to Kittle, and he could actually help, while in the 2024 Super Bowl, he couldn’t play anywhere close to how he’d like.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t play through the whistle when he failed to recover Christian McCaffrey’s fumble on the opening drive when the ball was right next to him.
Final Thoughts
George Kittle’s honesty about the two Super Bowl losses offers a rare look into the emotional side of a veteran player. The bond with longtime teammates and the feeling of being fully healthy made the first defeat more painful. As the 49ers prepare for another season, Kittle’s perspective underscores how much those early experiences still shape the group’s drive for a championship.