The Chiefs were prepared for the new overtime rules — a topic they discussed for the past two weeks and even dating back to training camp, two players told The Ringer — used in Super Bowl 2024, but some members of the 49ers had no clue about the change.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk and defensive lineman Arik Armstead said after their 25-22 loss Sunday that they weren’t aware of the fact that both teams got at least one drive in the extra frame.
“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime,” Juszczyk told reporters postgame, according to ESPN. “I assume you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win. I guess that’s not the case. I don’t totally know the strategy there. We hadn’t talked about it, no.”
Armstead told reporters that he didn’t know about the new rules until reading them on the scoreboard at Allegiant Stadium.
“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rule, so it was a surprise to me,” Armstead said. “I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that.”
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan controversially chose to take the ball first, even though that would give the Chiefs the advantage of knowing what type of score they needed to win the game.
Shanahan’s thinking was that if the teams matched field goals or touchdowns, the 49ers would then get the third possession at which point the next score wins the game.
In 2021, when the Chiefs defeated the Bills in the AFC divisional round and Josh Allen never touched the ball in the extra frame, the NFL altered its overtime rules to ensure that both quarterbacks got at least one chance to score.
A touchdown on the opening drive no longer secured a win.
That element didn’t matter at Allegiant Stadium, since Brock Purdy and the 49ers settled for a field goal, but Patrick Mahomes — by connecting with Mecole Hardman Jr. for a 3-yard touchdown — ensured that Shanahan didn’t get the opportunity to see if his coin-toss strategy was effective.
Shanahan, who fell to 0-2 as a head coach in the Super Bowl, told reporters that the fear of a tired defense, which allowed a game-tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation, didn’t factor into his decision.
He has been a part of both Super Bowls that ended in overtime. Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator when they blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots and surrendered a Tom Brady touchdown pass on the first drive of overtime in Super Bowl LI.
That time, with the old rules in effect, Matt Ryan didn’t get the chance to touch the ball or get the chance to respond.
This year, Shanahan wanted to make sure Purdy got the ball first if overtime reached a sudden-death scenario, which would’ve happened if Kansas City kicked a field goal instead of winning with the touchdown.
“Ours ended up being the right one, but that easily could have gone the other way. But that’s what we felt was the right thing to do,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters. “I’m never going to question Kyle, because he’s brilliant, but that was something we chose and, through our studies, we thought was important.”
But even with Reid’s compliments, it appears that Shanahan’s staff forgot the key element of informing his players about the new protocols.