3/18/2024 0 Comments Yes no flip coin![]() That's a dramatic advantage! Remember that from 1994 to 2011, when NFL teams were able to win in overtime by kicking a field goal and without needing to give the opposition another possession, teams that won the coin toss won the game nearly 60% of the time. If the two NFL teams are tied after they each get one possession with the football, though, Team 1 gets the ball for the third possession of overtime with the opportunity to win by scoring a field goal or touchdown - without giving the ball back to the opposing team. ![]() With that being said, from 2013 to 2021, Team 2 won only 51% of the time in a 243-game sample of college football overtimes, so this isn't a significant advantage. In college football, teams always get a chance to either match or top the first team's (Team 1) score on their drive, so there's not much thought: Most teams will prefer to be Team 2 and know what they need if they want to win. The other difference is more significant, and it's the factor Shanahan brought up in making his decision. ![]() One is field position: The NFL's rule starts each possession with a standard kickoff, while college football overtime begins on the 25-yard line for two possessions before starting on the 3-yard line for the third overtime. While there's certainly a benefit to getting the ball second - let's call this being Team 2 from this point forward - and knowing what you need, there are two major differences between the NFL's playoff overtime process and college football's. This is the argument I saw most often about this decision, and it's just wrong. "We already know what to do from college football. The verdict: What should teams do in future? Let's run through the arguments I've seen in favor of choosing to get the ball first or second and evaluate whether they hold up: Is it as simple as following what the Chiefs did? I'm not so sure. Having had a week to digest arguments, it seems like a good time to take a longer look both at Shanahan's specific decision and what your favorite team's coach should choose if he's lucky enough to make it to overtime in the postseason next season. More realistically, San Francisco lost for several reasons, none of which should be the single sole factor to blame. I'd point toward the 49ers' pass-blockers, who made multiple mental mistakes and likely cost Brock Purdy & Co. You could argue his scapegoat instead became defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who came within a fourth-down stop of winning a Super Bowl before being fired last week. Given Shanahan's issues in losing two prior Super Bowls, he was the most likely target, with many conflating several 49ers players not knowing the new overtime rules to Shanahan himself not understanding the options available. When I wrote about the game - which ended with the Chiefs scoring a touchdown on the second possession of overtime - I suspected the conversation Monday morning would work on finding a scapegoat for what had gone wrong. ![]() ![]() I touched on San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan's decision to take the ball first in overtime in my recap column last Monday, but after stories broke that some 49ers players didn't know the rules and video was released of the Chiefs celebrating Shanahan's decision on the sideline, it has turned into a much bigger story. I thought I was done with Super Bowl LVIII, but one conversation that keeps happening has pulled me back in. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĤ9ers-Chiefs Super Bowl overtime decision: Did Kyle Shanahan blow it? ![]()
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