San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo already fielded questions about potentially playing for a tie rather than the win against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night — a game the Niners lost in overtime.
"It's hard to play for a tie," Garoppolo said. "I don't know if I've ever done that before, and I'm glad we went for the win."
The 49ers received the ball on their own 20-yard line with just under two minutes remaining in overtime. San Francisco could have run out the clock and stayed undefeated because Seattle didn't have any more timeouts.
They didn't, and the 49ers suffered their first loss of the year.
After Wednesday's practice, it was Kyle Shanahan's turn to deal with a similar question. The head coach was asked if he ever considered playing for a tie during overtime.
"When you say 'play for a tie,' do you mean just take three knees?" Shanahan asked.
The reporter clarified: "Or just run the ball three times."
"That's not necessarily playing for a tie," Shanahan responded. "If we would have thought three runs were the best play to go with, we would have done that. But just running, not trying to get yards, to run the clock off, I think you know that answer. I'm pretty sure that we all know that answer. I would hope everyone in the world would be pretty disappointed in that.
"When I look back at that, I wish we had the clock moving, and if we had incompletions, then I could take it over. I should have just called a play that we didn't have an incompletion on. It would have kept the clock running."
Shanahan on 49ers center Brendel: 'Jake's played at a pretty high level'
By David Bonilla
Apr 3
Jake Brendel remains a frequent topic of discussion among fans who believe the San Francisco 49ers could upgrade at center. While the team may explore options in the 2025 NFL Draft, a rookie replacing the veteran seems unlikely given head coach Kyle Shanahan's emphasis on...
49ers' Kyle Shanahan excited to work with Mac Jones
By David Bonilla
Apr 1
Mac Jones once believed he might start his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers as the third overall pick in 2021. Many analysts predicted the team would select him. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was a fan of Jones and later admitted that the decision ultimately came down to...
Kyle Shanahan: 49ers will add veteran kicker to compete with Jake Moody
By David Bonilla
Apr 1
Kicker Jake Moody struggled in his second NFL season, converting just 24 of 34 field goal attempts. His inconsistency likely cost the San Francisco 49ers key victories and frustrated fans.
All of Moody's missed field goals came from 40 yards or longer, with most occurring...
Kyle Shanahan hopeful Brock Purdy won't miss time amid 49ers contract talks
By David Bonilla
Apr 1
The San Francisco 49ers are working to finalize a contract extension with quarterback Brock Purdy, aiming to get a deal done sooner rather than later. However, if negotiations stall, they could stretch into the offseason program, raising the question: Would Purdy hold...
