Kyle Juszczyk: Critics of 49ers' OT Strategy Are Looking to 'S--t' on Kyle Shanahan

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk appears to be sick of listening to people criticize the team's overtime strategy in a Super Bowl 58 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

"That changes nothing for me as a player, whatsoever. If I know the rule or don't know the rule, I'm trying to do the exact same thing on the field," Juszczyk told Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's just people looking for a way to s--- on (Kyle Shanahan)."

The 49ers fell to the Chiefs 25-22 in overtime at Allegiant Stadium, and there has been plenty of controversy about Shanahan's decision to take the ball first in the extra period.

Prior to the 2023 season, taking the ball first was an easy decision for most teams because if that team scored a touchdown then the game was over. The NFL changed the rules for the 2023 campaign to allow both teams a possession in overtime.

Shanahan opted to take the ball first in overtime, and the 49ers ended up with just a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down. Mahomes and the Chiefs then drove back down the field for the game-winning touchdown on their first possession of overtime.

Had the Chiefs taken the first offensive possession of overtime and scored a touchdown, that would have given the 49ers a chance to respond with a touchdown of their own and extend overtime.

After the game, several 49ers players said they were unaware of the league's overtime rule change, including Juszczyk and Arik Armstead.

"I didn't even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime," Juszczyk told reporters. "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."

Armstead added: "I didn't even know about the new playoff overtime rule. 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."

It's fair to question Shanahan's overtime strategy, but the 49ers should have also not let the Chiefs get back into the game after going into halftime up 10-3. San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach, but it continued to let Kansas City hang around through the fourth quarter.

The 49ers now enter the 2024 campaign aiming to win their first Super Bowl title since 1995. They have the best odds to win the title at +550, per DraftKings Sportsbook.