San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is under fire after a questionable decision on Super Bowl Sunday backfired.
The 49ers led the Kansas City Chiefs during the later stages of the game but the tightly-contested matchup eventually went to overtime. Shanahan’s decision to receive the ball first saw the coach come under heavy criticism from sections of the media.
One man that was unwilling to blame Shanahan was Chiefs coach Andy Reid:
“I’m never going to question Kyle because he’s brilliant,” said Reid per a recent piece on Pro Football Talk.
The new NFL rules allow both teams to have at least one possession in overtime. One argument is that the team that receives the ball second knows what is required and can take bigger gambles on third and fourth down.
Kyle Shanahan detailed why the 49ers took the ball after winning the coin toss in overtime.
“We wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go win.” pic.twitter.com/MyuRRpGvTA
— KNBR (@KNBR) February 12, 2024
“You can either kick it off or you can receive it. I’m not sure there’s a right answer necessarily,” added Reid.
After receiving, the 49ers drove down the field but were only able to come away with a field goal. A three-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman Jr. sealed back-to-back Super Bowl titles for the Chiefs.
Kyle Shanahan defended his decision stating he wanted the ball third to give his offense a chance to win the game.
Shanahan’s poor Super Bowl streak continues. The seventh-year coach conceded 21 straight points to the Chiefs back in 2020 to lose the championship. He was also the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons during their infamous Super Bowl collapse in 2017. The Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3 before giving up 31 straight points to lose the game.
Despite the loss on Sunday, Shanahan remains one of the most respected and sought-after coaches in the NFL. He has recorded 10 or more wins in four of the last five seasons and missed the playoffs just once in that stretch. Under his leadership, the 49ers remain the team to beat in the NFC.
