49ers' decision in overtime questioned after Chiefs score decisive touchdown
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's decision to start with the ball in overtime may have backfired.
LAS VEGAS — It used to be one of the easiest decisions in football: If you win the toss in overtime, you take the ball.
The rules are different now, however, and that choice by San Francisco in the Super Bowl will be debated all offseason.
The 49ers took the ball and drove for a field goal, then lost 25-22 when Patrick Mahomes guided Kansas City 75 yards the other way for the winning touchdown Sunday night. San Francisco’s drive ended when the 49ers kicked a field goal on fourth-and-4 from the 9.
If they’d known three points wouldn’t be good enough, they could have gone for a touchdown in that spot.
“That’s something we talked about,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said. “None of us have a ton of experience of it.”
Rating: 5