Can the 49ers Bounce Back Emotionally from their Latest Super Bowl Loss?

How does a team bounce back mentally from a defeat like that?

The 49ers lost the Super Bowl in the most painful way imaginable this year.

They were the consensus no. 1 team in football all season. They had the best roster in the NFL. They were as healthy as a team could be. They had a Pro Bowl quarterback. They had a double-digit lead in the Super Bowl. And they still lost to a young Chiefs team that was retooling on the fly.

How does a team bounce back mentally from a defeat like that?

The previous season, the 49ers lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game because Brock Purdy injured the elbow on his throwing arm and couldn't pass. The 49ers were certain they would have won had Purdy stayed healthy, and that belief galvanized them all year. They wanted to prove that they were the best team in football.

And they essentially proved just that. They destroyed the Eagles when they faced each other in an NFC Championship rematch in Philadelphia. They had a better roster than the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They were favored to win. And they still lost. And they can't figure out why.

Most analysts blame the head coach, Kyle Shanahan, because he didn't seem to know the playoff rules for overtime. If he had known them, he probably would have taken the ball second after winning the coin toss, but he took it first, and the Chiefs eventually won on a walkoff touchdown.

How do the 49ers galvanize themselves after that? Do they tell themselves they'll be unstoppable once their head coach reads the rule book?

I guess we'll find out.