Let’s analyze what went wrong for the 49ers against Chiefs. These are the 3 reasons :
1. Not enough planning
It’s obvious that the club was unaware of the playoff overtime regulations. Many of them believed that they could win the game with a score on the opening drive of overtime, but the Chiefs were assured of a possession. Then, Kyle Shanahan assumed that if the 49ers and the Chiefs both scored touchdowns in overtime, there would be a third drive. However, the Chiefs would have gone for two instead of a third. For this reason, both during and after the game, the Chiefs made fun of the 49ers.
2. Offensive stars went hiding
Deebo On 11 targets, Samuel only managed to catch three passes. Three passes were caught by Brandon Aiyuk. George Kittle managed to catch two. Christian McCaffrey, stumbled. Additionally, cornerbacks pushed Trent Williams about the entire game. The only offensive star who did not perform poorly was Brock Purdy, who was never given a chance since his receivers were unable to get open and his head coach was unable to devise a protection plan that would allow him to be exposed to the Chiefs’ blitzes.
Image courtesy : Yahoo! Sports
3. Horrible Team Errors
Ray Ray McCloud mishandled a punt attempt, attempting to scoop it up instead of just landing on it, giving the Chiefs a short field and a touchdown. The Chiefs tied the game and forced overtime with a field goal at the conclusion of regulation when Jake Moody missed an extra point. The 49ers’ biggest mistakes might have been on special teams.
