49ers players said that they did not know that overtime rules are different in the playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs raised the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LVIII, marking their third consecutive five-year reign. The Chiefs are now officially a dynasty with nowhere to go but up thanks to Patrick Mahomes, who is inevitable.
Two of the three championships that Kansas City has won in this era have been against the San Francisco 49ers. Being a Dynasty That Never Was, like San Francisco is currently, is a unique experience. They have to see all of the hoopla around the Chiefs and consider if they would have been the target of it had it not been for a few instances during their past two championship game games. Similar to their previous Super Bowl encounter, the Chiefs were once down the 49ers by ten points. Of course, they prevailed, but it took them nearly the entire extra session this time, as we saw the second-ever overtime Super Bowl. Strangely, when Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and the head coach of the Niners, he was on the losing end of both.
On the morning after the game, Shanahan is facing a lot of criticism for his players’ lack of preparation for the unique conditions that overtime presented. You may remember that a rule change that ensures both teams have possession of the ball in overtime, even if the first team scores a touchdown, resulted after the Buffalo Bills’ 2021 Divisional Round loss—ironically, to the Chiefs. It’s only found in the postseason.
The Chiefs’ overtime strategy proved to be a successful and well-planned move. Justin Reid, a safety for Kansas City, told The Ringer that the Chiefs had first talked about the new overtime regulations during training camp. Chris Jones, a defensive lineman, informed me that the guys were ready for the possibility of overtime in the Super Bowl.
Jones stated, “We discussed this for two weeks.” “Our plan for passing the ball to the opposition was to go for two at the conclusion of the game if they scored. We practiced it.The 49ers took a different approach. Following the game, a number of San Francisco players stated that they were unaware that the overtime regulations during the playoffs varied from those during the regular season and that the team did not have any strategy meetings to decide how to manage the extra period. Arik Armstead, a defensive lineman, stated that he became aware of the postseason rule’s specifics during a TV timeout following regulation at Allegiant Stadium. When the 49ers won the toss, fullback Kyle Juszczyk said he thought they should have asked to receive since that’s what happens in the regular season when a touchdown wins the game. That must not be the case. “I’m not really familiar with the approach,” stated Juszczyk.
This is far from ideal and Shanahan’s handling of the 49ers’ preparation—or lack thereof—in the run-up to the Super Bowl is a damning indictment.
