Much has been made about the San Francisco 49ers’ decision to receive the ball in overtime. With the new playoff rules, each team gets an opportunity to possess the ball. Knowing that some figure it’s wise to defer.
In the flow of the game, the 49ers’ defense had just been on the field for 11 plays, and it looked like they needed an IV more than another drive. Plus, they had lost a pair of starters in their secondary.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the decision to receive the ball was decided well before the final drive of the game: “We decided that before before Greenlaw tore his Achilles.