The San Francisco 49ers were unable to deliver a Super Bowl Championship to former Duke football standouts Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Helm.
The world stopped in its tracks on Sunday evening to watch the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
Unfortunately the 49ers were not able to hold on to its 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter and fell to the Chiefs, 31-20.
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Former Blue Devil Laken Tomlinson started on the offensive line for San Francisco while tight end Daniel Helm was a healthy scratch for the game, as he has been for every game since the 49ers signed the rookie right end.
Tomlinson started in all games this season for the 49ers and played every snap except for one in the first game of the season.
After the 49ers offensive line led the way for 285 rushing yards against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game two weeks ago, the 49ers were able to rush for 141 yards on 22 carries in the Super Bowl.
San Francisco also only surrendered one sack of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Many have critiqued the play calling of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in the fourth and his abandonment of the running game despite San Francisco holding the lead midway through the final quarter.
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In his fifth season in the National Football League, 2019 was the second time Tomlinson made the playoffs after spending his first two seasons with the Detroit Lions, the former first round pick saw the postseason in 2016 where he started and played all of the offensive snaps in Detroit’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Laken Tomlinson is still under contract with the 49ers for two more seasons, through 2021, and should continue to be a key member of San Francisco’s offensive line and dominant run game for years to come.