Patrick Star roasted Christian McCaffrey for early Super Bowl 58 fumble

The San Francisco 49ers opened Super Bowl LVIII with a bang, moving effortlessly across midfield — until Christian McCaffrey hit a brick wall on a first-and-10 handoff. Pinned between two defenders on the tackle, the All-Pro running back committed his first fumble in 3.5 months and the Kansas City Chiefs recovered.

It was a huge mistake to open the Niners' biggest game in four years.

McCaffrey was immediately under fire from from every corner of the football world — both on land and under the sea. Over on the Nickelodeon broadcast, Patrick Star dropped a rather harsh soundbite after McCaffrey coughed up the possession.

"You have to firmly grasp it."

A new all-time clip, which will surely outlive McCaffrey's fumble or the Nickelodeon broadcast.

Patrick Star roasts Christian McCaffrey after fumbles on 49ers' opening drive

That McCaffrey play is the perfect summation of Super Bowl LVIII so far. The Niners are clearly outplaying Kansas City across the board — in the trenches, under center, in the playmaking department. But, self-inflicted wounds have held San Francisco back. Trent Williams committed back-to-back penalties on San Francisco's second drive. Brock Purdy completed his first five passes and went 8-for-10 in the first quarter, but the Niners couldn't crack the scoreboard.

The Niners cannot afford these mistakes against an experienced and established winner like Kansas City. Nerves are a major element in any Super Bowl. The Niners are making plays, and Kyle Shanahan is calling a great game. None of that matters, however, if the Niners continuously shoot themselves in the foot.

McCaffrey has six carries for 22 yards as of this writing. He's a tremendous talent and there's every reason to believe he can rebound from a rocky start. The Chiefs, on the other hand, continue to run up against a brick wall on offense. If Patrick Mahomes and company don't pick it up, they run the risk of letting San Francisco string together a sustained, unencumbered scoring drive.

Steve Spagnuolo is the greatest postseason defensive coordinator of a generation. He has been completely outclassed by Shanahan so far, but the Chiefs are forcing mistakes — and clearly pressuring McCaffrey, the Niners' most reliable playmaker. So, we should gear up for an exciting rest of this game.

Expect Patrick Star to continue speaking his mind as the events unfold.