Kyle Shanahan stands by OT decision in 49ers' Super Bowl loss, defends track record in big games
Two days removed from losing Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sat at a podium with general manager John Lynch on Tuesday and addressed reporters.
The 44-year-old was quick to rebuff a specific question about the game, saying he hasn't had a chance to watch film from the loss. Instead, he spent time watching Netflix's "Griselda" with his family to distract himself from the victory that was almost in his grasp.
That didn't stop him from addressing two of the major sticking points following the defeat: his decision-making process after winning the overtime coin flip and the perception that he and the 49ers can't win big games.
[For more on 49ers' Super Bowl heartbreak, check out Yahoo Sports NFL]
At this point, the consensus seems to be that Shanahan should've kicked off to the Chiefs after winning the coin toss in light of the NFL’s new playoff rules. Instead, after the 49ers scored a field goal to open overtime, Kansas City scored a touchdown to win 25-22.
On Tuesday, Shanahan stood by the choice to receive the ball first
"Our analytics felt that was the best way to go," Shanahan said. "We decided that going into the playoffs."
He added that his gut agreed because the defense was tired, and Sunday's game was filled with field goals. He noted that the 49ers' Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in 2020 felt like an offensive "shootout," and he would've made a different choice had that game gone past regulation.
Lynch supported Shanahan on Tuesday, saying he made a "sound decision" since the defense had just closed the fourth quarter on an 11-play drive, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is exhausting to guard.
Amid the backlash from several 49ers players admitting that they didn't know the new overtime rules, Shanahan claimed that he attempted to keep everyone informed.
"We told everyone as we were waiting for the coin toss, 'Hey, review, everyone make sure they're sure before we go out.' We asked position coaches to do that," Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday. "But no, I didn't cover it in a meeting on the Super Bowl week. I don't think that changes anything."
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was one of the players who said he was unaware of the rules, saying he "assumed you just want the ball because you score a touchdown and win."
In an interview with Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Juszczyk walked back those comments a bit.
"That changes nothing for me as a player, whatsoever. If I know the rule or don't know the rule, I'm trying to do the exact same thing on the field," Juszczyk said. "It's just people looking for a way to s*** on [Kyle Shanahan]."
Shanahan closed the end-of-season conference with an energetic rejection of the idea that he and the 49ers don't win when it matters.
“We had to win a lot of big games to get to the Super Bowl," he said. "To say that the Niners can’t win a big game would be an extremely inaccurate statement.”
Currently 0-3 in Super Bowls, including his loss to the New England Patriots while working as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, Shanahan is aware of the critique that he's the problem.
“You’d love to fix perception," he said. "I would love to win one for what I know about football, and I know if I fix perception, that means I did everything I wanted to do — which isn’t fix perception. It’s win a damn Super Bowl.”
