Before the 49ers began their most recent postseason run, head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the possible outcomes of a game that might go into overtime with the team’s analytics staff.
BeforeIn March 2022, the NFL implemented new postseason overtime regulations that would grant each club a possession regardless of the actions taken by the team that initially gained possession of the ball (barring a defensive score). However, during that period, the Niners had not played in an overtime playoff game.
For both clubs, this meant that Sunday night’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was unprecedented.
Shanahan revealed on Tuesday that he had established a strategy with his staff prior to the playoffs, following several Niners’ admissions following the game that they were unaware of the overtime setup. According to him, he did not feel the need to discuss the plan with his team prior to the start of the overtime period, but he did order his assistant coaches to inform the team beforehand.
“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.”
Whether they understood the finer points of the rule or not, several 49ers stated on Tuesday that it did not alter the fact that they needed to try to score offensively and get a stop in order to defeat the Chiefs and win the eagerly anticipated sixth Lombardi Trophy for the team.
At the conclusion of regulation, quarterback Brock Purdy stated quarterbacks coach Brian Griese did, in fact, alert him to the regulations.
“He explained the rules to me and everything so I had an understanding of it,” said Purdy.
Following the 49ers’ 25-22 victory over San Francisco, Shanahan’s choice to receive the ball first after the 49ers won the toss has come under close scrutiny. After the Chiefs offence got the ball and quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched his team down the field to win it with a 3-yard touchdown throw to receiver Mecole Hardman, the Niners mustered only a 27-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody.
The Niners would get the ball to start the overtime period in which the first team to score would win, Shanahan claimed after the game that his conversation with the team’s analytics group had suggested it would be preferable to take the ball first.
Shanahan clarified on Tuesday that those conversations happened before to the playoffs, but he wanted to be adaptable based on how the match was going. Shanahan said 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 drive, if the game had been more high scoring.
“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.”
Additionally, 49ers general manager John Lynch brought up the fact that the team’s defence had just been out there attempting to contain Kansas City’s wild last-minute drive. Three plays before the game-winning field goal, Niners cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and safety Ji’Ayir Brown needed to be helped off the field due to injuries. The Chiefs marched 64 yards on 11 plays.
“When you’re playing Mahomes, you’re chasing him a lot,” Lynch said. “So, there’s a lot of effort that’s expended. I think the context from there is you need some time to get fresh. So, all those things play into it. Those are sound decisions.”
The 49ers made their way back to the Bay Area on Monday following their second heartbreaking Super Bowl loss in four seasons. Tuesday was spent organising their lockers, talking about plays they wished they had made during the game, and planning how they would grieve the match that went away and the championship that they were unable to win.
With one year remaining on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s rookie contract, Lynch pledged to keep striving to strengthen the roster. He also acknowledged that the organisation plans to re-sign Aiyuk and that they will use their most recent setback on the big stage as “fuel” for another shot at winning the championship the following season.
The exhausted Before the players departed, Shanahan took the time to speak with as many of them as he could, adding that he had not yet seen the Super Bowl movie. He stated that while he anticipates his coaching staff returning mainly intact, those discussions still need to happen in the upcoming weeks.
When asked about his thoughts on the increasing belief that he cannot win the most important games, Shanahan made it apparent that he is more concerned with ascending to the NFL summit than he is with external opinions.
“If I fixed perception, that means I did everything I wanted to do, which isn’t fixed perception, it’s winning a damn Super Bowl,”stated Shanahan. “This is where we’ve won a number of close games. To qualify for the playoffs, we had to win a number of close games. Losing to Kansas City in these past two Super Bowls has been difficult. However, to believe that if we win, I can win a significant game. No, it indicates that our group won the Super Bowl. I know what you mean.
“You guys can have any narrative you want, but the success or the failure, it comes down to one game. And I hope that I can be a part of the team that wins a game at the end of the year. But to say that the Niners can’t win a big game would be an extremely inaccurate statement.”