Change the rule for one game, great job NFL. How can SF not know this new rule just for the SB?

Definitely not. The rule was changed in 2022. Another excuse for the Niners. I'd be fired instantly if I used that excuse at work, and you would be too.

At first I thought wtf are they doing deferring here but I imagine shanahan knew the rules. The fact that he didn’t relay that properly to his players is terrible however.

But by deferring in his defense had the game gone to sudden death via both teams scoring a TD or FG then Niners would have gotten the 1st possession in a score to win scenario.

Yes, the rule was changed back then but there were no OT PLAYOFF games til last Sunday. Also, it's a permanent rule.

Local newspaper has some quotes from SF players stating they were not aware of the rule.

the ref explained it before the OT coin toss to the players but coaches should already know anyway

what difference does it make? I don't think it changes anything either way, the new rule is good for exactly this. Shanahan knew the rule and he knew he wanted to receive.

Terrible look for Shanahan. NFL OT rules suck. I like college rules as their OT’s are more intense and encourage more risk taking.

Yes, but even in college most coaches will elect to defend first. Simple, know ahead of time what's needed to win the game. This NFL rule should have been in place years ago. After playing all year to get to the playoffs, a team might not get the ball when there's OT. That's ridiculous.

I know this is controversial, but the last 4-5 weeks of the regular season I saw alot of teams winning the coin toss, and electing to receive. Yes this is the SB, and OT but these are supposed to be professionals. Nothing wrong with giving the D extra rest.

Sooner or later you have to score on offense to keep up. I see nothing wrong with the decision. If they score a TD, and Shanahan goes for 2 and gets it, then he's a genius.

Of course. During the regular season if you score a TD in OT you win. Period.