When the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers squared off in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night, NFL fans witnessed the new postseason overtime rules in action.
The league reminded supporters on X of the regulations as the game entered overtime. Unless the side kicking off received a safety on the team’s first possession, both teams have the chance to get the ball at least once during overtime. After two possessions, the team with more points than the other is deemed the winner.
The game enters sudden death mode if there is a tie after two possessions or if neither team scores on their opening possession.
Chaos and Confusion amongst 49ers
The Chiefs players stated they had discussed a plan in case overtime was necessary in the game. The Niners players said they were unaware of the overtime regulations. After winning the coin toss, San Francisco decided to get the ball first.
Following the game, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk stated, per ESPN:
“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime,” “I assume you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win. I guess that’s not the case. I don’t totally know the strategy there. We hadn’t talked about it, no.”
Niners’ line of defense Arik Armstead stated that he was also unaware of the regulations. He said,
“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rule, so it was a surprise to me,” “I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that.”
Regardless of the outcome of the coin toss, Chiefs coach Andy Reid stated that they have a strategy for overtime.
Mecole Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown throw from Patrick Mahomes, and the Patriots defeated the 49ers 25–22. The team, he claimed, had an overtime plan. According to Mahomes, Hardman wasn’t sure if he had won the game or not.