The 49ers may want to put the debate over whether or not to lead the ball in overtime behind them, but behind-the-scenes footage from the 2024 Super Bowl probably won’t help much with that purpose. And one former NFL star is hoping someone will. He will lose his job because of it.
“Inside the NFL” captured the moments before and after the fateful coin toss before overtime, and the surprise on the Chiefs’ faces after San Francisco decided to start overtime was telling.
“They want it. They want the ball,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes repeated over and over in shock as he ran off the field after the coin toss.
“That’s what they wanted, baby,” he exclaimed as he wandered down the sideline.
In the end, it was a costly mistake so bad that former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler couldn’t believe what he saw.
“He was in shock. I was in shock. I think everyone was in shock,” Cutler said. “It’s like giving Patrick Mahomes the ball on second down and giving him fourth down. Someone’s going to get sacked.”
Travis Kelce seemed just as surprised as Mahomes when the cameras cut to the Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end’s sideline.
“We want them to have the ball. They want it and they can get it,” Kelce said.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan has faced widespread criticism for his decision to start overtime with the ball rather than kicks.
Those frustrations were compounded by the fact that many San Francisco players said they were unaware of the new overtime rule.
“Inside the NFL” footage confirmed that when fullback Kyle Juszczyk admitted on the sideline when he was cut that he didn’t realize what it meant until that moment. It seemed like that.
“Even if we score a touchdown, they can still get the ball,” Juszczyk told another teammate and Shanahan in the clip. “I did not know that.”
The decision proved costly as the Niners were held to only field goals on every possession.
Mahomes and the Chiefs then marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown.
Shanahan did not discuss the new rules in detail with the 49ers ahead of the Super Bowl when he met with reporters Tuesday, but said he repeatedly explained the new settings to coaches and asked them to get their message across. .
