As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their opening game of the 2024 season against the New York Jets on Monday night, the team hopes the pain of last season’s Super Bowl loss will serve as motivation for the upcoming season.

49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner that the Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was still a sore subject when he vacationed with San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, and it remains that way to this day.

“Sometimes it’s like we laugh, we laugh, and then we make a quick joke about the Super Bowl and we’re like, ‘Shit,'” Juszczyk said. “And then everyone is quiet for a second and you feel those emotions. That’s part of the grieving process.”

Juszczyk and Kittle were also part of the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV loss to the Chiefs in the 2019 season, so they know how difficult it can be to recover from such a heartbreaking defeat.

San Francisco is once again one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this season, so Juszczyk and his team are highly motivated to meet those expectations and overcome the hurdle by winning the first title for the franchise since 1994.