- San Francisco coaching staff had discussed strategy
- Chiefs players say they had discussed rules for weeks
San Francisco’s decision to take the ball first in overtime during their Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs will be debated all offseason. That scrutiny will be even stronger after some 49ers players admitted they weren’t aware of new rules regarding overtime.
For many years, overtime ended as soon as one team scored. Then the rule was altered so both teams could possess the ball — unless the first team on offense scored a touchdown. In that case, the game would end on that TD, and that’s what happened when New England beat Atlanta 34-28 in Super Bowl 51.
