Inside Look At Super Bowl OT Continues To Be Bad Look For 49ers

Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers received mounting criticism for how they handled overtime, and an inside look at Super Bowl LVIII wasn’t the best look for San Francisco.

The Niners received the first possession in overtime and scored a field goal. Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field and threw the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman to secure Kansas City its second Lombardi in as many seasons.

Shanahan told reporters after the game the plan was to secure the third possession in overtime. This point was made mute when Mahomes revealed the Chiefs planned to attempt a two-point conversion to win the game if the 49ers scored a touchdown. Notable San Francisco players admitted they weren’t aware of the new overtime rules where one team is granted a possession regardless if the first team scores a touchdown.

“Inside the NFL” on Tuesday revealed exclusive footage of the beginning of overtime, and it confirmed what fans believed about the events. Here are a few highlights.

Shanahan: We want the ball, Fred.

Mahomes: They want it. They want the ball. They wanted it, baby.

Travis Kelce: We want them to have the ball. They want it, they can have it.

Kyle Juszczyk: Hey, even if we score a touchdown, they still get the ball. I didn’t know that.

(Chiefs special teams coordinator) Dave Toub: If we won the toss, we would have kicked off, too. We got what we wanted.

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The mic’d-up footage showed how detailed Kansas City was about the new overtime rules and exemplified how little San Francisco prepared for the potential outcome.

Travis Kelce doubled down on how shocked he was about the Niners’ decision on his “New Heights” podcast and his brother Jason Kelce revealed he texted Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during the game because they also had discussed the new overtime rules.

The 49ers were the test case for the new overtime rules, and it’s possible the losing team would have been criticized no matter what the decision was. But the NFL is a results-based business, and it’s a decision San Franciso and Shanahan will have to live with.