Joe Staley had a wry smile on his face as his eyes were red and welled up after Sunday’s 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was pulling on his socks customized with the faces of his daughters, Grace and Audrey.

He was willing to reflect, one last time in the locker room, before leaving Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens to go enjoy his family. They have a trip to Hawaii planned soon.

The 49ers’ 35-year old left tackle couldn’t easily describe the emotions he felt. He had been 5 yards away from winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 season. Now this.

“It’s just a blur, man,” Staley told the Bee. “It was a blur. It was a blur when we played in the Super Bowl the first time and a blur now.”

He stuck with the 49ers through the constant losing following Jim Harbuagh’s departure, three coaching changes and all the roster turnover around him. Throughout it all he was San Francisco’s constant, wanting more than anything to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him all the way back in 2005.

But Staley and the 49ers lost a 20-10 lead to the Chiefs as they scored three touchdowns in five minutes of play.

“It hurts. It just feels bad,” Staley told the Bee.

Not the kind of hurt that kept him out of the game Sunday’s second half. There was still a bandage wrapped around his hand as he talked at his locker. After he spoke, he’d need stitches.

The pain comes from not knowing if Staley will ever have that opportunity. Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young spoke to the team in October about cherishing the moment and maximizing every opportunity because Super Bowl appearances don’t come around all that often. The Chiefs’ win was their first title in 50 years.

“I just know how hard it is to get here and you don’t know how many chances you’re going to get again to be in this moment,” Staley told the Bee. “So, this hurts. It hurts. It’s a cliche to say that, but it’s seriously the only reason I play football. I don’t give a s--- about any of that other stuff.

“I don’t care about being paid well. I don’t care about going to Pro Bowls. I don’t care about anything. I just want to win a Super Bowl. I want to know what that feels like to win a Super Bowl trophy. And there was a moment in the fourth quarter, when we had a 20-10 lead, and there was about eight minutes left, and I thought I was going to get that.”

49ers fall flat at the finish

The 49ers had a chance to win the game when they got the ball back following a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes, the game’s MVP. They had it at their 15-yard line with 2:39 left. They got strong gains from Raheem Mostert on a run and another pass to Kendrick Bourne on the sideline.

On third-and-10 from midfield, Emmanuel Sanders streaked past two Kansas City defenders and was open for a score. But Jimmy Garoppolo, taking a hit from familiar Super Bowl foe Terrell Suggs, overshot Sanders, the ball well beyond his reach.

It set up a fourth down, and Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark sacked Garoppolo for essentially his second consecutive game-ending sack. Running back Damien Williams scored his second touchdown of the game running right through the left side of a dejected 49ers defense to put it away.

“It’s awful,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “It’s the worst I’ve felt. Just really, really tough. My heart breaks for the vets on our team. There are guys that deserve this more than anything in the world. The Joe Staleys. The Richard Shermans. The Emmanuel Sanders. Mike Person, Ben Garland. My heart breaks for those guys. It sucks.”

Mahomes completed 26 of 42 (62 percent) for 286 yards, two touchdowns and the first two interceptions of his postseason career. He was averaging a miserable 5.8 yards per attempt as the 49ers pass rush controlled the game.

It forced Mahomes to make decisions he wouldn’t normally make. He threw a pick right to linebacker Fred Warner in the third quarter, and another behind Tyreek Hill that was batted to second-year safety Tarvarius Moore in San Francisco’s end of the field.

At that point, it felt like the 49ers were going to win their elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy on the same field they won their last title 25 years ago.

But the offense couldn’t put together another scoring drive after being efficient and effective. Garoppolo completed 17 of 20 in the first three quarters, and 3 of 11 in the fourth.

Chiefs’ adjustments pay off

The Chiefs made adjustments. They started sending pressure after Garoppolo, which has been the best way to attack him all season. His first-half interception came after side-stepping Chris Jones and getting hit by Mike Pennel. Otherwise, Garoppolo was sharp before the final 15 minutes.

“I think everyone felt pretty similar,” Garoppolo said. “It sucks losing for a guy — especially for Joe — with just everything he’s been through. This whole team, this is an incredible team, a team that’s unlike any team I’ve been a part of.”

The defense that throttled Mahomes started to succumb as Kansas City pushed the tempo. Andy Reid had his team going no huddle, and San Francisco’s pass rush was a tick late and less effective as it was in the first three quarters.

DeForest Buckner was a heartbeat behind getting Mahomes when he found Hill for a 44-yard gain, the true turning point, on a third-and-15. The Chiefs got to the 1-yard line when Moore was flagged for pass interference on tight end Travis Kelce in the end zone. Mahomes found Kelce for a 1-yard score the next play.

“It was smart of them going up-tempo,” Buckner said. They started kind of getting us out of position a little bit. … I guess you could say fatigue, maybe, yeah.”

The 49ers had a chance to extend their lead, up 20-17 with six minutes remaining. But they went three and out. The Chiefs marched 68 yards on 10 plays and Williams scored on a 5-yard reception in the right flat as he barely snuck the ball inside the right pylon.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan, who will now face questions about how he managed the game late in the first half three years after his Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl against the Patriots, knew the Chiefs had a comeback in them.

“They’re not a team that does it every drive,” he said. “They get a little bit hot and cold. They can score very fast.”

Score fast they did, scoring consecutive touchdowns after back-to-back drives ended in rare Mahomes interceptions.

49ers eye a comeback

But the 49ers feel confident they’ll be back. They developed quickly and have a talented roster. They’ll be in the fourth season of Shanahan’s tenure and will keep nearly all the key pieces of their coaching staff, including coordinator Robert Saleh.

That was evident by the conversation Staley was having just before giving his final interview. He pulled rookie receiver Deebo Samuel aside and whispered some words of advice after Samuel nearly put together a performance worthy of MVP consideration. He had 92 all-purpose yards, including 53 on the ground over three carries. He didn’t get a touch in the fourth quarter.

Samuel will be a key member of the team going forward, along with star defensive end Nick Bosa, who had five tackles, a sack, tackle for loss and pass breakup.

“He’s one of the most talented rookie I’ve ever seen,” Staley said of Samuel. “I was just telling how important this offseason is and he can be the greatest receiver in the NFL. Just to work really hard this offseason and use this as motivation.”

Samuel won’t be the only one working hard. Staley will too — after that Hawaii vacation.

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