SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) — San Francisco 49ers fans, players, coaches and staff are all still coping with the failure to bring home the Lombardi Trophy in the Super Bowl. It’s the harsh reality of the NFL.

After months of preparation and hard work, there’s only one Super Bowl champion and 31 others who clean out their lockers with their heads hung low.

“I think when you get there, you now know what the deal is,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “I think it definitely makes you more hungry and it definitely hurts worse.”

“I can’t even describe it,” 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said. “It’s like one of the biggest heartbreaks you’ll ever deal with.”

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“I’m disappointed, like we all are,” 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams said.

Tears fell as emotions were still raw after a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Players on this team recognize the opportunity they had to win it all with this particular roster that won’t be the same next year.

“Obviously, we wanted to get it done with this group but we have the people in place to make another run next year,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said.

“I want to snap my fingers and be back in the Super Bowl,” 49ers defensive end Kyle Juszczyk said. “But I know that’s not how it works. And there’s so much work that needs to be done in between that.”

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That work won’t come for a little while. Players say the time to recover from this will take longer than usual.

The pain is real, but 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead recognizes the bigger picture.

“Football isn’t the only thing in life,” Armstead said. “At the end of the day, we are blessed to be doing what we’re doing.”

The blessing of sport is that there’s always next year.

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The organization has failed to achieve their ultimate goal, but their mindset has not changed.

“You’ll find a way to channel it, use it or just be able to flush it and be able to move on and attack the next stage,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said.

“The thing that gives me hope, is knowing how much it means to me, how much it means to this organization, how much it means to Kyle, the players and John,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. “The things that make up a championship team, I know we have those things.”

“It sucks, but that’s the game that we play,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said. “And we have to find a way to sort of have it fuel you and have that roll into next year.”

Something that will come with time, but until then, the offseason starts now.

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