The 2024 Super Bowl continues to give a lot to talk about even days after the game, with many people blaming Kyle Shanahan for the San Francisco 49ers‘ loss. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce recently addressed the coin flip situation in overtime, suggesting the Niners made the wrong choice.
“You win the coin toss, that’s what you get,” Kelce said on his ‘New Heights’ podcast, via NBC Sports. “You get the opportunity to have the advantage and they handed it right over to us. Not trying to harp on the guy, but it was a huge … .”
With the scored tied after four quarters, Shanahan opted to receive the ball rather than kick it to start the overtime period. But San Francisco only got to score a field goal, letting the Chiefs win the game with a touchdown.
Shanahan explained he was thinking about a potential sudden death situation, as the Niners would have gotten the ball back if things were still level after the Chiefs’ possession. But Andy Reid‘s team had no intention to let that happen.
Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs meet at mid-field for the overtime coin toss during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chiefs were happy to take the ball second
While Shanahan’s call makes sense, it looks like Kansas City always wanted the 49ers to receive first. Patrick Mahomes looked happy as soon as he heard San Francisco’s decision, with the quarterback later revealing the Chiefs’ idea was to win the game before the Niners could get the ball back.
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Even if Brock Purdy‘s offense managed to get seven points, Mahomes and company would have gone for a TD plus a two-point attempt to try and seal the deal at Allegiant Stadium. Either way, Kelce made it clear they had enough confidence on their defense to hold the Niners to a field goal.
“They said we wanted to receive and the ref looked at Fred [Warner] and said ‘Are you sure?’ And he said ‘Yes, I want to receive. I want the ball.’ I jumped out of my seat and said ‘Here we go, let’s go boys. They want to receive? We get second possession and know exactly what they want. Defense, hold them. Hold them to three (points). We’re going to go down here and win this thing, baby.'”
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The toss may be seen as a turning point in the 2024 Super Bowl, but in the end, the 49ers lost because they simply didn’t do what they needed to do. Their offense couldn’t score more than three points, while their defense was unable to stop Mahomes on a 72-yard drive that led to the game-winning touchdown.
