The 49ers won the coin toss to start overtime. They decided to take the ball. Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose team would have opted to kick, chose not to criticize 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for electing to receive.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was not so diplomatic.
“They’re crazy,” Jones told reporters after the 25-22 Kansas City win. “They’re crazy. Because the overtime rules have changed where both teams get the ball no matter who scores. So, originally, you want to let the other team get the ball, stop them holding the three, so you know what you got. Or if you stop them, they punt it, then all you have to do is kick three.”
Chris Simms and I talked through the issue in detail on Monday’s PFT Live. (The clip is attached.) It’s a decision that can’t fully be made until it’s time to make it.
Last night’s game had become a field-goal game. In that scenario, a solid argument can be made for trying to set up the third possession of overtime, after the two teams potentially trade three-pointers.
But here’s another factor that becomes critical to the decision. There’s only one Patrick Mahomes — and the Chiefs have him.
Do you want to give the ball to him with a championship on the line? With a touchdown to win?
Sure, Shanahan wanted the third possession, the first of sudden death. With Mahomes, there won’t be a third possession.
With Mahomes, the better play would have been to give him the ball first. If he had scored, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy would have had a chance to forge a legacy by driving for a potential game-winning touchdown — capped by a two-pointer, if need be.
Regardless, Mahomes was getting on the field at some point. Last night, it might have made more sense to give him the ball first.