49ers' Dre Greenlaw feels he could have changed the outcome of Super Bowl 58 loss to Chiefs

Dre Greenlaw obviously can't guarantee that the San Francisco 49ers would have won Super Bowl 58 had he not suffered a bizarre Achilles injury, but he certainly feels he could have put them in position to prevail over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Linebacker Greenlaw tore his Achilles while preparing to run onto the field following a punt, with his incredible misfortune seen as something of a turning point in a contest the 49er defense had dictated for much of the first half.

San Francisco still went into the half with a 10-3 lead but, after wasting an opportunity to make it 17-3 at the start of the second half following a Ji'Ayir Brown interception of Patrick Mahomes, the 49ers struggled to slow down the connection between the Chiefs' quarterback and Patrick Mahomes in the latter stages of regulation and in overtime.

Greenlaw does not know if his presence would have helped the 49ers to sever that key connection but, speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area's '49ers' Talk' podcast, he intimated a belief that his effort and intensity would have put San Francisco in a better position to get the job done.

“I think it was just the energy that I was bringing,” Greenlaw said of the impact of his injury.

“I wouldn't necessarily say I would've stopped Travis Kelce. He would have made some good plays and good catches and did some good things. But I know I would have made some plays out there.”

Greenlaw had two interceptions in the 49ers' Divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers, including the game-clincher on Green Bay's final offensive series. While he stopped a long way short of insisting he would have made such a game-changing influence in the Super Bowl, Greenlaw has no doubt he would have a had a positive impact on the defense.

“I know I would have made the plays to help my team,” he added. “I would’ve brought the energy to help my team. I would have played hard as hell out there.

“I hope that -- I know that and I felt like that would have gotten us the victory. I do. But at the same time, I don't know. I just know I would have given all I got.”

The fact remains that the 49ers, even without Greenlaw, had their opportunities to put the Chiefs away. They failed to do so, leaving his injury and the unusual circumstances around it to stand as one of the biggest 'what-ifs' in NFL history.