Did 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan make wrong overtime call? We analyze the numbers

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

Sunday night in Las Vegas brought us not only the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, but more significantly, the first overtime game since the NFL changed its rules for the postseason to ensure both teams would get the ball in the extra period.

That meant in real time, the 49ers and Chiefs had the first chance to implement a new strategy and turn theory into practice with an NFL championship hanging in the balance.

The outcome — the 49ers winning the toss, taking the ball and opting for a field goal, then losing on a Chiefs touchdown — was a thrilling first chapter of how teams should handle this new playoff overtime format. It was also as much a lesson in what not to do as what to do.

First, to recap: Before 2022, NFL playoff games had the same basic format as the regular season, in that a team could win the coin toss, score a touchdown and win the game without the other team’s offense ever taking the field. When the Falcons (with now-49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator) lost to the Patriots seven years ago in the only other overtime in Super Bowl history, that’s what happened.

To make things more fair to both teams, the league amended its rule for playoff games, saying both teams would be guaranteed one possession in overtime, and any lead after those two drives would mean the game was over. The entire 2022 postseason and the first 12 games of 2023 had come and gone without any overtime, so the change wasn’t fresh on anyone’s mind Sunday night.

“That’s something we talked about,” Shanahan said after the game. “None of us have a ton of experience of it.”

When the 49ers won the toss before overtime, they chose to receive the ball. In the old format, this was the obvious choice, but with that touchdown-wins scenario gone, it made for a much more difficult decision. Choosing to get the ball first allows an offense to be the aggressor and gives a defense a…

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Publish date : 2024-02-12 19:11:41

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