Super Bowl LVIII was an incredibly balanced matchup. Both teams made two turnovers, both defenses played exceptional football, and each coach executed superb game plans. While it can be argued that San Francisco had too many mistakes on special teams, those errors did not automatically seal the fate of the 49ers.
However, as I watched the game, one decision from San Francisco stood out as particularly perplexing to me. After winning the overtime coin toss, the 49ers chose to receive the ball.
In the previous overtime rules, where a team would win if they received the ball first and scored a touchdown, this decision would have made sense. The 49ers could have secured victory with a touchdown and prevented Patrick Mahomes from having a chance to possess the ball.
But under the new rules, each team is guaranteed to have a possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown. With this in mind, I found it strange that San Francisco was so eager to have the ball, as it placed all the pressure on themselves to score.
Nevertheless, Kyle Shanahan was willing to take the risk, expressing confidence in his team’s ability to force Kansas City to play under pressure.
“It’s something we discussed,” Shanahan stated in his postgame news conference. “None of us have much experience with the new overtime rules, but we analyzed the situation and consulted with our analytics department. We believed it would be better for us. We wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones with the opportunity to win. So, we got that field goal, and we knew we had to prevent them from scoring a touchdown. If we did that, we thought the game was in our hands.”
Personally, I may not entirely agree with this decision, but then again, I am just a fan who will never face the pressure of the decisions Shanahan confronts each week. He carefully planned his strategy, discussed it with his analytics experts, and communicated it to his players.
Or did he?
Following the 49ers’ devastating loss, several players admitted to the media that they were unaware of the strategy going into overtime or the new rules in general.
“I wasn’t even aware of the new playoff overtime rule, so it caught me by surprise,” said defensive lineman Arik Armstead. “I didn’t really understand what was happening.”
Admittedly, one player failed to familiarize himself adequately with the updated rule book. It’s not an ideal situation, but it can be overlooked.
However, what cannot be overlooked is the fact that the players did not know the game plan for overtime in the most crucial game of their careers. Unfortunately, that was the reality for the San Francisco team.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk spoke with reporters after the game and revealed that the team was mentally unprepared for the strategy after the end of regulation.
“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime,” Juszczyk confessed. “I assumed that the goal was to get the ball, score a touchdown, and win. Apparently, that’s not the case. I don’t fully understand the strategy. We never discussed it.”
Of course, the primary objective is to score a touchdown if possible, which is a relatively straightforward strategy.
However, Juszczyk exposed a significant oversight on San Francisco’s part. Shanahan and his staff failed to adequately prepare the players mentally for the possibility of overtime. That is a mistake that cannot be afforded.
In the Super Bowl, attention to minute details and consideration of every possible scenario are crucial. Getting the small things right can be the difference between winning a championship and experiencing another heart-wrenching loss.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid understands this, and he ensured his players were well-prepared.
“We discussed it throughout the year,” Reid explained. “During training camp, we went over the differences between regular season and playoff overtime rules. Every week of the playoffs, we reiterated the overtime rule. We knew our game plan if we won the coin toss, whether to defer or not, and what our plan was from there.”
We can never know for certain if the 49ers’ knowledge of the strategy would have guaranteed a different outcome during their overtime possession. However, one thing is clear.
The coaching staff of the 49ers did not adequately prepare the team for a championship game against the best team in the NFL era. And it certainly did nothing to benefit their cause.
According to the Source outkick.com