Chiefs' Andy Reid Won't Question 'Brilliant' 49ers HC Shanahan for Coin Flip Decision

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he's "never going to question" fellow coach Kyle Shanahan after the San Francisco 49ers decided to start with the ball in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII.

Reid told reporters he's "not sure there's a right answer necessarily" in terms of starting overtime on offense or defense with the NFL's playoff-specific format.

"Ours ended up being the right one," he said. "That easily could have gone the other way. That's what we felt was the right thing to do. I'm never going to question Kyle because he's brilliant. That was just something that we chose through out studies. We felt that was important."

During the regular season, there's a clear advantage to taking the ball first in the extra period since a touchdown ends the game. In the postseason, on the other hand, both teams are guaranteed at least one possession if the opening drive doesn't end in a defensive score.

Because of that, the Niners might have been better off starting on defense when they won the coin toss. Assuming the Chiefs get a touchdown to go ahead, San Francisco would've known what it took to either extend overtime or earn the victory.

Shanahan addressed the tactic after the game, saying he "wanted the ball third" for in the event the overtime pivoted to a sudden-death format.

That logic is a bit flawed, though, when Super Bowl LVIII showed there's no guarantee of a third possession. And with Mahomes specifically, you'd seemingly prefer to avoid any scenario where he can walk if off.

Perhaps more damning, it doesn't appear the 49ers were fully prepared for the different overtime setup. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead said he was only beginning to understand the rules when they were shown on the scoreboard at Allegiant Stadium.

The Athletic's Mike Sando spoke to a coach who said Shanahan "not having a dedicated game strategist on staff screwed him." Sando said one former head coach called it a "BIG mistake" to start overtime with the ball.

Reid may not have wanted to second-guess Shanahan, but plenty of others are certainly doing it for him.