Two historic moments occurred with the conclusion of this year’s Super Bowl. On one side, the Chiefs successfully defended their title, breaking the drought since the Patriots’ 2003-04 season. On the other hand, the 49ers, who were vying to clinch their sixth Lombardi, tying with the Patriots and the Steelers, lost two back-to-back big games against the same team. In the aftermath, the head man of the Niners, Kyle Shanahan, faced fury from fans since he decided to take the ball first in the OT. A month later, the chatter hasn’t yet died down; however, Chiefs HC Andy Reid, in a recent interview, cannot seem to find Shanahan at fault.
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Straight out of the Combine in Indianapolis, Andy Reid sat down with John Middlekauff for his podcast, “3 and Out“, where the latter had asked Big Red about the OT situation this Super Bowl since the new rules were implemented because of his team. For the uninitiated, the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills were inches away from winning the Divisional Round in the 2021 season, but the Chiefs managed to push the game to OT with zero seconds remaining on the clock. Allen would go on to lose the toss, and Mahomes’ 75-yard winning drive would clinch them the victory. After this, new rules were implemented, but they were barely used, until, of course, the Super Bowl LVIII.
In this year’s big game, Shanahan’s offense would start the overtime in Sin City and put three points on the scoreboard, which the Chiefs overcame in a breathtaking game-sealing drive. Since then, fans and pundits alike haven’t held back any punches and threw shade at Shanahan for choosing to get the ball first, as giving Mahomes the ball back always results in a loss.
When the host asked Reid how he managed to get behind the new rules quickly, while the opponent fell short, Reid said that the situation was a ‘tossup’ — it could go either way. He then touched upon the Niners’ offensive front and how it had ‘rolled throughout the season’ — therefore, giving up the ball couldn’t have been necessary in their favor, which the majority of people seemed to have missed.
“Shanahan is a brilliant guy,” Reid said. “That was a tossup, really. If you take their offense and how it rolls — this was just what we thought was best for us.“
John expressed that it wasn’t at all ‘crazy’ that the 49ers’ defense took the ball, as their defense could have taken a beating if they gave up the pigskin to the defending champs. Surprisingly, Reid concurred.
Would Andy Reid Have Been Taken the Ball First?
In the interview, Reid clearly stated that he had Mike Frazier address the new OT rules in front of the team from time to time, exploring every different angle since the postseason rules are different. So, in a way, the Chiefs knew what they were about to choose if they had won the toss. He believed that the 49ers taking the ball, if possible, would have been in their favor.
However, at the same time, he noted that if he were leading the 49ers, he wouldn’t know what to choose, even acknowledging the fact of how much flak Shanahan had to endure. He said,
“He took so much heat for it,” followed by, “I said in my press conference afterward, ‘That’s a tossup’. If I’m the Niners, I’m not sure I don’t take the ball.“
While the fan sentiment is understandable, Reid’s take shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt. Who knows what could have happened if the Niners decided to give up the pigskin first? We can do nothing more than speculate, as the 49ers embark on their journey for a comeback.
