I got most of my Super Bowl picks correct – unfortunately.
Kansas City prevailed, 25-22, in overtime. I’d picked the underdog Chiefs to win outright in a Sunday post here, while noting I’d prefer it if San Francisco won.
I also identified proposition bet picks of Taylor Swift being shown more than six times during the broadcast (she was shown 12 times by count of the Houston Chronicle) and Swift arriving from an Asian concert in time for kickoff (she did.)
My only miss was taking the bet that Swift would be wearing a Travis Kelce jersey. She wasn’t.
Still that’s 3-1 on picks, a rebound from going 0-2 in conference championship games two weeks back.
As for the game, it was competitive and went to overtime. It was not, however, a well-played contest.
Kansas City was far from sharp and prevailed largely on the basis of San Francisco beating itself.
Most notably, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan added to his choking legacy. The common thread is Shanahan can’t seem to understand how to manage leads and run the ball, both to wear out opposing defenses and to drain the clock.
He was offensive coordinator when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead to lose in overtime to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
More recently, Shanahan twice has blown 10-point Super Bowl leads as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in losses to Kansas City. The second came Sunday.
And, as before, it largely was because Shanahan forgot to call any running plays when it would have mattered. Only after Kansas City had taken the lead in the second half did Shanahan rediscover his run calls and mix them with passes.
Still, when it mattered most in overtime, Shanahan tried a ridiculous play-action pass on a key third down – Kansas City’s defense had for some time been ignoring run fakes and racing straight at quarterback Brock Purdy. The pass thrown under duress was incomplete and the 49ers settled for a field goal and 3-point lead. But Kansas City would get a possession.
The Chiefs then marched promptly down the field to a winning touchdown and Shanahan had cemented his label as a playcalling choke artist when it counted.
It was legendary baseball manager Casey Stengel who said “Most ball games are lost, not won.”
Winners capitalize on outright mistakes of the opponents, or the failure of opponents to maximize opportunities.
I was screaming loud and long even when San Francisco led in the first half that the 49ers would lose the game due to their inability to build a bigger lead when they were dominant and Kansas City was stumbling.
Missing a second-half PAT didn’t help, nor did Shanahan’s again questionable playcalling.
Kansas City fans will celebrate back-to-back Super Bowl wins. But, make no mistake, the 49ers lost it. Shanahan’s name should go on the Lombardi Trophy as a contributor to the KC cause.
Sam Ross Jr's site 