For the third time, Kyle Shanahan was so close. This time around, it was probably the closest. And for that exact reason, it's probably the most painful as well. The San Francisco 49ers played better for most of the game, they led late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

And, once again, a Shanahan-led offense stalled. For the third time, Shanahan's team had a double-digit Super Bowl lead and couldn't finish it off. And that creates another chapter in Kyle's book of trying to reach what his dad Mike did in the 1990s, but the son can't repeat. It's a shadow, and it's hard to run away from that.

In the 2016 postseason, Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in the 28-3 game, a New England Patriots championship and the biggest come from behind win in Super Bowl history. Shanahan was criticized because of his playcall, because of game management decisions.

As the 49ers head coach, there have been two losses to the same Kansas City Chiefs. Probably, with better rosters on both occasions. But Patrick Mahomes was on the other side, and the opposing quarterback has that ability to shape careers. What would Kyle be if Mahomes didn't exist? But he does, and Shanahan has to live with the pain.

Comparisons

Watching from the outside, it seems like Kyle has a great relationship with his dad, Mike. It's from his dad that the 49ers head coach learned so much about football, and how he entered the NFL so ready to take over as an offensive mind.

But there are some aspects that maybe have no explanation. Last week, ESPN Senior Writer Seth Wickersham wrote a long, brilliant piece about Kyle's path to another Super Bowl, how this time it could be different. It was to a certain degree, because Shanahan didn't make clear mistakes.

His performance as a playcaller was fine, even though the strong Chiefs’ defense dominated for some parts of the game — especially in the third quarter. His decisions were fine, too, like the bold one to go for it on fourth down, converting it on a pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle, and then transforming a three-point drive into a touchdown to Jauan Jennings.

But the results were the same. And whether we like it or not, legacies are built based on results, on championships, on rings.

In Wickersham's piece, he mentioned that Mike has three Lombardi Trophies upon entrance in his Denver steakhouse. Kyle saw those titles from his dad as the offensive coordinator and head coach, from a privileged position. He saw how Mike prepared, how he prepared his teams, how they executed.

Kyle, though, simply can't get it done. Or at least hasn’t. On Sunday, it was probably because of a muffed punt and a missed extra point. But the weight is obvious, and as a head coach he has some kind of responsibility for what happens in every phase of the game.

Past

Ten years ago, when Mike was fired as Washington's head coach, Kyle had the chance to be away from his father's shadow. He went to a different coaching tree, without previous relationships, and spent one year with the Cleveland Browns. It ended up being a tough circumstance, but it was also a revealing scenario.

"I think it's gonna be nice when I hear the head coach's last name and 'S' isn't always tagged to the end of it — the Shanahans," Kyle said when he got the Browns OC job. "That was always a goal of mine, to prove myself before I ever coached with my dad. I thought that I had proved myself. And it was something I always wanted to do in my life — I wanted to coach with my dad at one time. I enjoyed it. We went through some ups and downs, but it's something I wouldn't take back for anything. Excited to move on and be done with that part of my life, but I think it made me better, and it's something I'm glad that I did."

Since taking over as the 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan has been close four times. Four. It's been two NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowl losses. It's getting tougher, the weight is more significant each time.

Future

Sure, Shanahan has plenty of time left. He's only 44 years old, after all. But he's a proven commodity as an NFL coach, and three Super Bowl losses in these circumstances are just difficult to swallow. He will try, though.

“Both teams played their asses off, but they got it done. We're all hurting, that's how it feels,” Shanahan said after Super Bowl LVIII. “It'll take some time, we'll get over it and come back next year ready to go.”

Kyle wants to get over this situation, and he eventually can. While he can't, though, the shadow of his father and the cloud of the Super Bowl blown leads will be there.

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