MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The 49ers' locker room was solemn after their 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, but Dee Ford focused on the positives from San Francisco's journey.
The six-year veteran added speed to the defensive line while tallying 6.5 sacks in the regular season. The biggest challenge for the talented pass rusher might have been trying to stay healthy as he battled through a hamstring injury most of the season.
“We’ll be back, yeah, we’ll be back,” Ford said. “We know what the standard is now. We have guys who work hard. We’re going to take some time off but we’re going to get right back to work and we’ll close the deal next time.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While there was great disappointment in the locker room, Ford believes the 49ers have a lot to be proud of. He knows how challenging it can be to go from a 4-12 season to reaching the Super Bowl.
“We are going to keep our heads held high,” Ford said. “This is of course not the result we wanted, but every guy on this team would line up and do it all over again. So we’re going to take this and go back to work at the end of the day.”
Ford said he didn’t lose faith in the fourth quarter, even as the Chiefs took the lead in the final minutes. He felt his teammates did the same but simply weren't able to close the deal this time around.
“For me it ain’t over 'til it’s over so that’s what’s going on in my mind,” Ford said. “So I wanted to stay positive the whole time. Every drop of time we had on the clock we were going to take advantage of.
San Francisco 49ers
“In games like this I think it comes down to making plays and I think they were able to make more plays than we did at the end. We are two great teams so I think it comes down to execution at the end of the day. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”
Much of the 49ers roster will return to Santa Clara for the 2020 season, but the challenge will be trying to regain the magical chemistry that permeated through the locker room all season. Ford still believes in the team’s ability to regroup and look ahead.
[RELATED: Why Reid, Shanahan's legacies are more than Super Bowl LIV]
“We know our identity,” Ford said. “We dominated most of the season, if not all of the season, I feel like in my opinion. A few games we just came up short, we didn’t make enough plays and that’s what great games come down to.
"So at the end of the day, we’re going to take that and move forward.”