Jerry Rice was on hand at Super Bowl LIV to cheer his former team, but he watched in horror as the team squandered away a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter and could do nothing but watch as the Kansas City Chiefs scored 21-unanswered to win the game 31-20.
The game was not without a little officiating controversy.
On Wednesday, the hall of fame WR went on 95.7 The game and criticized the refs on the offensive pass interference call against tight end George Kittle right before halftime. It was a negated play that could have given San Francisco a lead heading into the second half. Instead, the team had to settle for a 10-10 tie.
“We had some bad calls too against us,” Rice said on the “Joe, Lo and Dibs” show. “The one right with Kittle right before halftime. I’m like, ‘Are you serious? Come on!’ I understand if you really extend your arm but let the players play.
“Then the one with, I think, (Travis) Kelce; that interference. Then the one that, I guess, was a touchdown with the guy (Damien Williams). I felt he stepped out of bounds before he stuck the ball over the pylon.
“You can’t make excuses or anything like that. We had a chance. We lost the game probably in the last five minutes. We were right in the ball game.
“It was devastating for me. It’s something that I can’t get over right now. It’s going to take a while, and I’m hoping it’s the same way for the players.”
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Despite the loss, Rice believes the team will be back in the Super Bowl next year.
“I think it’s a team that’s going to make a run next year,” Rice said. “I don’t want to say it was a big surprise, but to see what they did this past season, that has to be very encouraging for the players, for the organization, for the coaches.
“Yeah, you came up a little short. And I have been on that end before when I was with the Oakland Raiders, and we lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so I know what that feeling feels like. It’s not a good feeling, but you just get back in there and start grinding again. You get focused, and you just try to get back to the Super Bowl.”
You can listen to the entire conversation below:
