Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Monday morning that his team would have kicked the ball off to start overtime of Super Bowl LVIII if given the option.

"That can go either way," Reid said per ESPN's Jeff Darlington. "We would have kicked the ball off. We had already gone through all of that. We had it all mapped out."

The Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers ended regulation Sunday tied at 19 apiece. That signaled the first utilization of the NFL's new playoff overtime rules, which were implemented before the 2022 season.

The 49ers won the coin toss and elected to receive. Their drive ended with a field goal, but the Chiefs marched down the field for a touchdown and a Super Bowl victory.

Under the most previous iteration of the overtime rules, receiving the ball makes the most sense, because if that team scores a touchdown, the game is over.

But under the new rules, kicking off makes the most sense. Your worst-case scenario is being down eight points to start your possession, and then even then you can tie the game. Ultimately, you know the cards you're dealt and what you need to do to win.

That's what happened with the Chiefs. They knew they needed a field goal to tie and a touchdown to win, so going for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 34-yard line was the no-brainer move in OT. After a Patrick Mahomes scramble, the Chiefs gallivanted down the field for the game-winning score.

Ultimately, receiving the ball to start OT under these new rules is almost akin to a baseball team choosing to bat first instead of last in extra innings.

Ideally, you want to bat last and know exactly what you need to do to win the game. It changes your strategy, and you have more information at your disposal to make optimal decisions.

The 49ers didn't have that luxury. Furthermore, some members of the team weren't aware of the new OT rules, per The Ringer's Lindsay Jones. The Chiefs were aware and had scenarios practiced out, as lineman Chris Jones noted.

For 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's part, he was playing for a third possession, in case both teams tied after their first cracks at it.

In theory, that could have worked if the Chiefs were forced to kick a field goal, as the next points would have won the game.

Alas, Kansas City scored the touchdown, and the 49ers never got that chance.