The San Francisco 49ers woke up on Monday still stinging from a Super Bowl loss and facing criticism given that some of their players admitted they were not aware of playoff overtime rules that allowed for both teams to possess the ball.
Sunday’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas was only the second to go to overtime and the first to fall under a March 2022 rule change which eliminated the chance of a team winning the game outright on the first possession of the extra period with a touchdown.
“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rule, so it was a surprise to me,” 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead said after the game. “I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that.”
After winning the overtime coin toss, the 49ers elected to receive the ball to start the extra frame and marched down the field before settling for a 27-yard field goal and a 22-19 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs.
But the Chiefs responded with a 75-yard drive that Patrick Mahomes capped with a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman that secured a 25-22 victory.
In the regular season, if the team that gets the ball first in overtime scores a touchdown on the opening possession, they win.
“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime. I assume you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said in an ESPN report. “I guess that’s not the case. I don’t totally know the strategy there. We hadn’t talked about it, no.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl/some-49ers-unaware-overtime-rules-super-bowl-loss-2024-02-12/