Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs survived a 25-22 thriller in Las Vegas against the San Francisco 49ers to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. Of course, one of the biggest topics is if Kyle Shanahan gave them an advantage in overtime.
The 49ers won the coin toss and linebacker Fred Warner had the instruction from the bench to take the ball. That gave Andy Reid and his offense the chance to know exactly what they needed in their first possession.
Mahomes had proven over the years that he is a clutch quarterback in the NFL like Joe Montana and Tom Brady, but, the 49ers thought it will be better to wait for a second series as Shanahan later explained.
“We went through all the analytics. We just thought it would be better. We wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go win. Got that field goal, so knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal, and if we did, then we thought it was in our hands after that.”
Patrick Mahomes was surprised by Kyle Shanahan’s decision in overtime (Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes was shocked when 49ers took the ball in overtime
On the other side, Andy Reid confirmed after the Super Bowl that the Kansas City Chiefs would have deferred if they won the coin toss. That’s why, when the 49ers took the ball, Patrick Mahomes couldn’t believe it.
According to the new overtime rules, each team would have at least the ball once. So, the quarterback knew this was a massive advantage. He wasn’t thinking in giving another chance to San Francisco.
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Now, a video revealed by Inside the NFL shows Mahomes with his eyes absolutely wide open when Fred Warner announced Kyle Shananhan’s decision to Allegiant Stadium.
Mahomes visible shock at the 49ers taking the ball 👀