mannc

Hope his doctor’s malpractice insurance is up to date…

Shanahan made an all-time blunder. “Playing for the third possession” is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Hardly. The team that gets the ball second has a distinct advantage in college and in the NFL.

Injury excuses have always carried a lot of weight in the NFL…well done! Maybe there should be an “If Only No One Got Hurt Lombardi Trophy”…heck, they could award it before the playoffs even start!

Except the Chiefs absolutely knew they had to score at least three points on their drive. Knowing exactly what you need is a huge advantage. Way too many ifs to worry about that third possession.

That’s true, but if they fail to convert one time, the game’s over. Why not just take the ball second?

Absolutely true. That is a brutal division and will be even tougher next year. But the Bengals definitely have our number, which is a problem above and beyond KC.

Good grief...the Bills could not possibly have gotten any more breaks in that game. The Bills recovered three of their own fumbles, Hardman fumbles through the endzone just as Chiefs were going to go up by two scores. There were a bunch of important calls that were reviewed and every single review went the Bills' way even though several were questionable. The Chiefs averaged just under 8 yards per play; the Bills averaged less than five yards per play. The Chiefs had injuries on defense, too...Brian Cook was out, Derek Njadi was out, I believe Willie Gay was out, and I believe another of their LBs was out, too. As to the punter's injury, Martin punted one time and it was a pretty good kick...an absolute non-factor. The Bills were lucky to be in that game at the end.

who cares?

I can't believe I really have to argue this point...having four chances to get a first down makes it easier to score than than having only three. Teams don't do it all game long because in certain circumstances--depending on field position, number of yards needed to pick up the first, and the score of the game--punting makes more sense. There simply is no question that an offense has a better chance of scoring on any given series if they have four plays to work with instead of three.

It does fly in the face of a popular narrative around here…

And since 2018, KC has had 24 picks in the first four rounds of draft…they picked 17 defensive players, and of the 7 offensive players, most have been busts. Go figure.

Absolutely. The NFC doesn't have a single elite QB...the AFC has at least six.

My working theory is that Shanahan didn't know the overtime rules, either. It's the only explanation for that bizarre decision to take the ball first.

You don't see a distinct advantage in having four plays to make a first down instead of just three?

You mean like Mecole Hardman fumbling the ball through the endzone on a play that should have put the Chiefs up two scores?

Both teams have that "advantage" in college. In the NFL, the team that has the ball first is forced to play "conservative" three-down football the entire length of the field and, if they manage to score, the other team gets to play four-down offensive football. Against a QB like Mahomes, that's game over. What a bizarre comment. Care to address the substance of what I said, you know, with logic?

That's a cop-out. All you have to do is look at college football to know that the team that has the ball second in that situation has a HUGE advantage. I know the college rules are a little different, but the principle is the same: Much better to know what you need to do on your first possession and potentially have the advantage of utilizing a four-down offense. In fact, the advantage might be even more pronounced under the NFL rules because the offense has the advantage of playing four-down football the entire length of the field, not just from the opponent's 25 yard line.

This is really it. KC and Mahomes knew they needed at least three points, so until they got inside the SF 40-yardline the Chiefs were operating with an extra down--a huge advantage that Purdy did not have on SF's possession. And if the Niners had scored a TD on their drive, that advantage becomes more--not less--pronounced, because the Chiefs are operating with four downs the entire length of the field. Mahomes with four downs to work with in that situation is pretty much unstoppable. As I said, it's almost like Shanahan was unaware of the rule change...that's really the only logical explanation for his decision.

Same

Good grief…we got every single possible break this year against the Chiefs and lost at home. We recovered three of our own fumbles, got the Hardman fumble through the EZ and got most every call by the officials…and still lost. Give it a rest.

That’s the thing about the postseason…it reveals truths about your team that might not have been apparent in the regular season.

Under the new playoff OT rules, it’s a firing offense to take the ball first. It’s almost like Shanahan didn’t know the rule. Absolutely the worst coaching blunder I’ve ever seen in a Super Bowl.

He’s nowhere near as good as Chris Jones. Not even close.

Totally agree. And the Chiefs have other really good players, like Karlaftis, Bolton and Willie Gay, who are as good as anyone on the Bills’ defense. That’s how you make a dynasty. Oh, and the Chiefs only have three starters left from the team that won the Super Bowl four years ago.

The thing that stands out to me, watching this game, is that both teams have a lot of star players, huge difference makers: Kelce, Mahomes, Chris Jones, McDuffie, Snead…McCaffery, Samuel, Trent Williams, Bosa, Fred Warner…the Bills have 1 guy in that category. It’s just not enough.