When the 49ers got the ball back off an interception with a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, many people expected them to try to run the clock by running the ball down the Chiefs’ throats.
That’s not how things played out, however. The Niners called five passes on their next eight plays, which resulted in a pair of punts that helped the Chiefs get back into a game that was getting away from them. The Chiefs would wind up with the final 21 points of the game and Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said after the contest that was a good development for his side.
“We were grateful they got out of the run and started to throw the ball,” Mathieu said.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that he was focused on moving the chains rather than killing clock, but they weren’t able to do either and the Chiefs are the champs as a result.