Super Bowl

[Parfigliano]

Line:  SF -2/ -125/ 47

Who ya got?

[Mike Sixel]

Should SF have kicked off in OT, so they knew if they needed a FG or TD? I vote yes.

[gunnarthor]

20 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Should SF have kicked off in OT, so they knew if they needed a FG or TD? I vote yes.

How do the new OT rules work? Like, if the first team scores a TD and then the other team ties it, does it become sudden death? Or does the second team always get a chance to tie?

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, gunnarthor said:

How do the new OT rules work? Like, if the first team scores a TD and then the other team ties it, does it become sudden death? Or does the second team always get a chance to tie?

Sudden death. I'm not sure they win any way. Mahomes said if they needed a TD, they'd have gone for two and the win.. and we all know they'd make it

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I heard that the San Francisco front office wanted to win the coin toss so that they could take the ball, and have the third possession of overtime. San Fran thought it was most likely that the first two possessions would end the same. Which didn’t happen, and which as Mike said above, KC did not seem intent on letting that happen. KC was going for the win. Dan Campbell would approve. 

So the best way that San Fran’s thinking works is if they thought both teams would punt or settle for field goals on their first overtime possession, and then San Fran could drive down and kick the final field goal on the third possession.

Never mind that some of the San Fran players were confused about the overtime rules. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Also, worst football take I’ve heard in a long time, and PST nomination, from none other than Ben Leber: the KC kicker should have won the MVP award 🙂

The thing is, I don’t even necessarily disagree that much, except that the only reason he presented was that Mahomes didn’t have a good game. Umm, what? Did he not see the 4th quarter and overtime? I agree with Leber that it’s lazy how QBs are just given the award automatically. However, Leber could have mentioned how Aaron Donald should have won it two years ago. (Kupp actually won it that time.) Didn’t bring it up. Everyone I think agrees that Butker is a Top 3 nfl kicker but the kick at the end of regulation was very short. I don’t think kickers need that extra recognition, even for being clutch.

Leber also said KC should have run one more play with six seconds at the end of regulation, and attempted the FG with one or two seconds left if necessary. Hard disagree. Too much can go wrong trying to get fancy. Ask Pete Carroll and Malcolm Butler. 

and just the humor factor. Even disregarding how Mahomes engineered that touchdown drive in overtime and deserved the MVP, hearing someone say the kicker should get a MVP in the Super Bowl just sounds funny. Kudos for sticking your neck out and saying it though! But, no. 

Also, Mahomes calling out “we’re good! we’re good!” before motioning Hardman on that final play (hard to hear because Romo talks over it). Mahomes is basically telling the whole offense ‘This is it Boys, this is the Touchdown. We got it.’ Kelce didn’t even turn around when the defender picked him up instead of tracking over to Hardman. Kelce just watched the TD happen on the Jumbotron and threw up his arms. (Kelce is one of the two reads on that play.) Unbelievable the awareness all these guys have. Mahomes is the rightful MVP. Man I love greatness. 

Anyway, still tons of respect for Leber and maybe the most entertaining Super Bowl I have ever seen. Thanks everyone for your company on these football threads all season. Go Twins! 

 

 

Edit: Actually Kelce was not the second read on that last play either. I will try to stick to my hot baseball takes! 

[Seth Stohs]

On the New Heights podcast today, Travis Kelce said they had a coach who literally went through the Overtime rules every single day

From the sounds of it, a lot of the 49ers weren't aware of the playoff rules. 

I rarely listen to postgame shows, but I happened to be flipping around... And Maurice Jones-Drew (I think he's on NFL Network) asked both Mahomes and Reid (separate interviews) about how nervous they were as the overtime clock was dropping down 6, 5, 4 seconds.... They both answered it nicely, like 'we new we had time for another play on that end, but we weren't nervous.' I don't know that they realized MJD clearly didn't know the OT rules either.