The talk of Super Bowl LVIII, aside from the result, a Kansas City Chiefs‘ 25–22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, has been about the NFL’s playoff overtime rule changes and how it affected the decision-making of the two teams.
The 49ers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball, a decision that coach Kyle Shanahan had to answer for after the game. Some of San Francisco’s players even admitted they didn’t know the overtime rules.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs maintained an air of confidence and security about the overtime period, maintaining they had a clear plan all along to defer or kick the ball off to San Francisco.
After the game, Chiefs star Chris Jones was asked what went through his mind when the 49ers elected to receive the ball. He responded by calling the team “crazy,” via 610 Sports KC on X, formerly Twitter.
“They’re crazy” Chris Jones reaction to the 49ers electing to receive to start OT. #Chiefskingdom #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/6Y3bFD4312
— 610SportsKC (@610SportsKC) February 12, 2024
“They’re crazy. They’re crazy. Because the overtime rules have changed where both teams get the ball no matter who scores,” Jones said.
He then perfectly explained why Kansas City wanted to receive the ball, saying that the goal was to either hold the 49ers to three points or stop them completely and force a punt.
This ensured that the Chiefs knew exactly what they needed when their offense ran onto the field. Given the logical approach from the Kansas City side—and the uncertainty from the 49ers—it’s not surprising that Jones would think his opponent’s decision was “crazy.”
