SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers' defense fought valiantly in Super Bowl LVIII, but could a more aggressive approach have swung the game in San Francisco's favor? Star cornerback Deommodore Lenoir believes so.
After Monday's practice, Lenoir detailed how the defense's difficulty finishing games ultimately doomed San Francisco in its heartbreaking 25-22 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I feel like it's just us finishing," Lenoir said. "I feel like it was games that ... I mean we didn't start out fast but we didn't finish strong. The games that we lost, I feel like if we just finish in the fourth [quarter], keep our foot on people's necks, we'd be Super Bowl champions."
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The Chiefs converted on six of their eight third- and fourth-down attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime of Super Bowl LVIII, highlighting the defense's inability to deliver a knockout punch after holding serve for the majority of the game.
The 49ers' defense allowed only one Chiefs touchdown in regulation -- coming on a drive where Kansas City's offense started on San Francisco's 16-yard line after return man Ray-Ray McCloud III muffed a punt. The Chiefs' only other points in regulation came via four Harrison Butker field goals.
The problem is that three of Butker's field goals came immediately after a 49ers scoring drive, with a pair of those kicks tying the game in the fourth quarter after San Francisco had taken two separate leads in the final frame.
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The failure to get a big stop with the game on the line likely factored into Steve Wilks' firing less than a week after the 49ers' Super Bowl loss, which opened the door for Nick Sorenson to take the defensive coordinator reins after serving on San Francisco's coaching staff for two seasons.
With Sorensen and Brandon Staley now overseeing the defense, Lenoir has the utmost confidence the new 49ers brain trust's emphasis on details will improve the finishing issues that ultimately shattered San Francisco's Super Bowl dreams six months ago.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Lenoir said regarding his confidence in the 49ers' defense taking the next step this year. "They're always on us about the little things and just the small details."
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