Eight months later, the pain of losing a second Super Bowl in five seasons to the Kansas City Chiefs has barely subsided for the San Francisco 49ers as they prepare for a rare regular-season rematch.

Memories of Chris Jones blowing up key plays with pressure, Patrick Mahomes creating plays with his arm and feet, and Travis Kelce getting open in key spots in Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime win are hard to avoid as the Niners (3-3) watch tape of that game back in February in preparation for a visit from the Chiefs (5-0) today.

“Everyone understands that we’ve lost the two Super Bowls to them. So I mean, that can give a little post-traumatic stress when you turn on the tape,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “I think that’s human nature. But you’ve got to make sure you don’t get caught up in that. This game has nothing to do with past games, that was last year.”

The game on Sunday marks the 10th time in NFL history the teams that met in the Super Bowl played again in the following regular season, with the defending champion going 6-3 in those games.

The 49ers don’t want to dwell on that game and know a regular-season win won’t make up for a Super Bowl loss. But they also can’t avoid rewatching it in search of any tips that can help them this week.

“It’s definitely a little emotional,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “But at this point, it’s just a game so we’re just looking at the tape, trying to learn from it. A lot of similarities from last year. A few new guys, but a really good defense and an offense obviously has No. 15 (Mahomes) back there. So always dangerous.”

The loss in February stings in part because the 49ers had so many opportunities to come away with the franchise’s first championship since the 1994 season.

San Francisco built a 10-0 advantage early and held three leads in the fourth quarter and overtime that Mahomes and the Chiefs were able to erase and eventually overcome thanks to coming up big in key moments.

Kansas City got pressure on Brock Purdy to force two key third-down incompletions that forced field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime. Kelce got loose for a 22-yard gain that set up a tying field goal at the end of regulation. Mahomes converted a fourth-and-1 keeper in overtime to extend a drive that ended with his game-ending TD pass to Mecole Hardman.

The most painful plays are the missed third-down pass at the end of regulation that Purdy said this summer still bothers him since it gave Kansas City time to tie the game and the inability to stop Mahomes on that fourth-down run.

After San Francisco kicked a field goal on the opening possession of overtime, the Niners could have won it with one stop on fourth-and-1.

Mahomes faked an inside handoff to Isiah Pacheco. Bosa crashed down on that play, which he said was his assignment, and Mahomes rolled to his right. When Logan Ryan stayed with Kelce, Mahomes kept the ball and ran 8 yards for the game-extending first down.

“That was tough especially because we have calls that can negate that,” Bosa said. “They ran the zone read a few times and we just didn’t find an answer to it. I definitely thought he was going to hold it or keep it, but I’ve got to do my job, especially in a big moment like that. ... We definitely have a plan for the zone read this time. Hindsight is 20-20.”

Linebacker Fred Warner said there were things San Francisco could have done better to stop that play but added that the game didn’t come down to one snap.

“You want to be great in those critical situations to ultimately to end and win the game, but there are little plays throughout the entire game you could have said, `Aw, that was the one. That could have won it,’” he said. “You’ve got to look at all of them.”

Josh Allen is playing at an MVP level and the offense just added wide receiver Amari Cooper so the only thing that can slow the Bills (4-2) this week is themselves on a short week after a Monday night win over the Jets. That’s unlikely against the woeful Titans (1-4). Tennessee’s defense is No. 1 in fewest yards allowed but the offense is next to last in yards and is averaging just 19.2 points per game.

Jared Goff and the Lions (4-1) are rolling on offense. They’ve scored 89 points in the past two games but face a difficult task against Minnesota’s defense. Detroit’s defense stepped up last week in Dallas after a rough game against Seattle. Losing Aidan Hutchinson is a major blow, however. The Vikings (5-0) are looking to continue their momentum and maintain their hold on the NFC North following a bye. Sam Darnold had his least productive game so this will be an important bounce-back game. It’ll be tough for the Vikings to keep up with the Lions.

The Seahawks (3-3) have lost three in a row after winning their first three games. The defense isn’t stopping the run and the offense is losing the turnover battle. Geno Smith leads the NFL with 1,778 yards passing but he’ll face a defense that’s ninth against the pass. The Falcons (4-2) have a multidimensional offense that can rely on Kirk Cousins throwing or Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier running or both. They could have a big day against Seattle.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals (2-4) have no margin for error after another slow start. They’ve got to stack wins to have any shot at making the playoffs. The Browns (1-5) are in disarray and have the league’s worst offense behind Deshaun Watson. They’re the only team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game or reached 300 yards.

C.J. Stroud and the Texans (5-1) aim for the team’s first four-game winning streak since 2018. Joe Mixon’s return boosted Houston’s run game. Will Anderson Jr. is coming off an incredible performance — three sacks, four tackles for loss — and could make things difficult for Jordan Love. The Packers (4-2) have held opponents to 19 points or fewer in their four wins and an opportunistic defense leads the NFL with 17 takeaways.

The Dolphins (2-3) finally won a game without Tua Tagovailoa before a bye. Maybe they should’ve signed Joe Flacco in the offseason. He has completed 70% of his throws with five TD passes and one interception while leading the Colts (3-3) to two wins in three games. But Flacco is going back to the bench once Anthony Richardson returns from an oblique injury. Richardson was back at practice this week. Indianapolis needs running back Jonathan Taylor to return to take pressure off Richardson.

Saquon Barkley faces his former team and the Eagles (3-2) try to build some momentum. Jalen Hurts has his receivers back and the offense looks better but still isn’t clicking. Making Barkley the focal point this week makes sense and also will open up the passing opportunities. Daniel Jones and the Giants (2-4) aren’t scoring enough points and will be missing stalwart left tackle Andrew Thomas. Maybe Philadelphia’s underachieving defensive line can take advantage.

It’s rare to see a one-win team favored by a touchdown but the Rams (1-4) are in that spot. They’re coming off a bye and looking to get back on the winning track while the Raiders (2-4) celebrate off-field victories. Tom Brady’s bid to purchase a minority stake in the team got approved on the same day star wide receiver Davante Adams was traded to the Jets. Neither team is going anywhere but the Raiders have Maxx Crosby and he could wreck Matthew Stafford’s afternoon so this one should stay close.

While Bryce Young watches Andy Dalton from the sideline for the Panthers (1-5), rookie QB Jayden Daniels has quickly displayed he’s the real deal in Washington. The Commanders (4-2) had won four in a row before battling Baltimore in a close loss. They’re facing a defense that’s given up 33.8 points per game.

Davante Adams is expected to step in and play, a huge boost for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets (2-4). New York is a couple of missed field goals away from 4-2, but still hasn’t done enough to win close games. Russell Wilson could make his debut for the Steelers (4-2) even though Justin Fields has played well enough to win. Still, the Steelers are 28th in passing and 20th in scoring and Wilson has greater upside.