Did 49ers players know overtime rules are different in playoffs?

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.

[Explaining the NFL’s OT rules: Regular season vs. playoffs]

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.”

For many years, overtime ended as soon as one team scored. Then the rule was altered so both teams could possess the ball — unless the first team on offense scored a touchdown. In that case, the game would end on that TD, and that’s what happened when New England beat Atlanta 34-28 in Super Bowl 51.

An even more recent rule change mandated that in the postseason, both teams can possess the ball even if the first offensive team scores a touchdown. Now NFL playoff overtime even more closely resembles the college OT format, where teams alternate possessions. And in college, teams often like to have the ball second because they’ll have a better sense of what they need on their drive.

‘Obviously we’re hurting. The team’s hurting’ – 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan

All the changes, particularly the fact that the rules are different in the playoffs, can be confusing. 49ers players admitted that they didn’t even know the rules, according to ESPN.

“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rule, so it was a surprise to me,” Niners defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that.”

“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in…

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Publish date : 2024-02-12 19:50:34

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