SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before the San Francisco 49ers started their latest postseason run, coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with the team’s analytics staff and went through the potential scenarios for a game that might reach overtime.
The NFL installed new rules for postseason overtime in March 2022 that would allow for each team to get a possession regardless of what the team with the ball first does (unless there is a defensive score). But the Niners had not been involved in an overtime game in the playoffs in that time.
All of which made what happened in Sunday night’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs uncharted territory for both teams.
After multiple Niners said after the game they were not aware of the overtime setup, Shanahan said Tuesday he had laid out a plan with his staff before the playoffs began. He said he also instructed his assistant coaches to let the team know before the overtime period started but did not feel the need to discuss that plan with his team before that point.
“We told everyone as we were waiting for the coin toss to review everyone to make sure they’re sure before we go out,” Shanahan said. “So, we asked position coaches to do that. But I didn’t cover it in a meeting on the Super Bowl week. I don’t think that changes anything.”
Multiple 49ers said Tuesday that whether they knew the specifics of the rule or not did not change the fact that they needed to try to score on offense and get a stop to beat the Chiefs and claim the franchise’s long-awaited sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Quarterback Brock Purdy said quarterbacks coach Brian Griese did indeed give him a heads up on the rules at the end of regulation.
“He explained the rules to me and everything so I had an understanding of it,” Purdy said.
On the heels of San Francisco’s 25-22 loss to the Chiefs, Shanahan’s decision to take the ball first after the 49ers won the toss has been scrutinized. The Niners took the ball and managed only a 27-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody before Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched his offense down the field to win it on a 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mecole Hardman.
After the game, Shanahan said his discussion with the team’s analytics staff had indicated it would be best to take the ball first because if both teams matched scores on their opening drives, the Niners would get the ball to open the portion of overtime in which the first team to score would win.
On Tuesday, Shanahan explained that those discussions took place before the playoffs, but he wanted to remain flexible depending on how the game was playing out. If the game had been more high scoring, Shanahan indicated he might have taken the ball second where he would have known exactly what he needed to win the game before San Francisco’s first possession.
“I always make [the decision] in the heat of battle with that information,” Shanahan said. “If it was like the Super Bowl the year before the one that seemed more like a shootout, I think I might have felt a little bit differently but having that information going in and the way ours was going, I didn’t feel differently. I felt accurate with what they recommended.”
Niners general manager John Lynch also pointed out that the 49ers defense had just been on the field trying to fend off Kansas City’s frantic final drive. The Chiefs marched 64 yards on 11 plays,…
This article was originally published by a www.espn.com . Read the Original article here. .