49ers Players Seem to Blame Kyle Shanahan for Losing the Super Bowl
The 49ers players didn't come right out and explicitly blame Kyle Shanahan by name after they lost the Super Bowl, but they came close.
They certainly didn't blame quarterback Brock Purdy for the offense's terrible output -- the players said Purdy was great. Instead, the veterans pointed to a few critical decisions which were made by Shanahan.
"When you play a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes with a good offense, you got to put up touchdowns, not field goals," George Kittle said. At the end of the fourth quarter, Shanahan decided to kick a 53-yard field goal rather than go for it on fourth and 4. The Chiefs got the ball back with 1:53 and led a game-tying field goal drive to force overtime.
Then Shanahan decided to take the ball first in overtime and didn't communicate the decision or the new playoff overtime rules with his players.
"I didn't even know about the new playoff overtime rule," Arik Armstead said. "It was a surprise to me. I didn't know what was going on, in terms of that. They put it on the scoreboard and everyone was thinking, even if you score, they get a chance still."
Meanwhile, the Chiefs reportedly spent two weeks in training camp going over the new playoff overtime rules with their players.
"I didn't even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime," Kyle Juszczyk said. "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."
And when the 49ers got the ball in overtime, Shanahan once again decided to kick a field goal rather than go for it on fourth and 4 -- a big mistake according to Kittle.
Has Shanahan lost the 49ers locker room?
Stay tuned.
