The Super Bowl went to overtime on Sunday, which was bad news for anyone with an early bedtime or a misunderstanding of NFL rules. Unfortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, at least two of their players fell into the latter camp.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the 49ers 25-22 in overtime. The 49ers possessed the ball first in the overtime period and kicked a field goal. The Chiefs marched down the field for a game-sealing touchdown in their only drive.
After the game, multiple San Francisco players noted that they were unsure of the overtime rules. Super Bowl 58 was the first overtime playoff game since the NFL established new rules in 2022.
Under the new rules, both teams have an opportunity to possess the ball. Previously, the game ended if a team scored a touchdown on the first overtime drive.
“I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “I assumed you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win. I guess that’s not the case.”
San Francisco defensive lineman Arik Armstead said he was also unaware of the change.
“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rules, so it was a surprise to me,” Armstead told reporters. “I didn’t even know what was going on in terms of that. They put it on the scoreboard and everyone was like ‘Oh, even if you score, they get a chance still.’”
Juszczyk noted that coach Kyle Shanahan did not share any overtime plans with his players. After winning the overtime coin toss, the 49ers elected to receive the period’s opening kickoff.
“I don’t totally know the strategy there,” the Harvard product said. “No, we hadn’t talked about it.”
Shanahan said he thought through his overtime decisions. If the Chiefs had only scored a field goal in overtime, the game would have reverted to sudden death with the 49ers next possession.
“We went through all of the analytics,” Shanahan said. “We wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had a chance to go win.”
The 49ers defense failed to stop the Chiefs, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to clinch the victory.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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