Mathieu: Chiefs 'grateful' to 49ers for throwing ball late in Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs engineered a dramatic comeback win to take Super Bowl LIV, but it might not have been possible if the San Francisco 49ers didn't abandon their dominant running game late in the contest.

The 49ers picked off Patrick Mahomes while up 10 points in the fourth quarter, but then they punted on their next two drives. Head coach Kyle Shanahan called five passes on those possessions, helping to give Kansas City enough time to score twice and take a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"We were grateful they got out of the run and started to throw the ball," Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said, according to Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.

Shanahan defended his decision to rely on Jimmy Garoppolo's arm late in the 31-20 defeat, arguing it was more important to be aggressive and attempt to keep the ball rather than trying to run out the clock.

"The last thing you're thinking about when you're up three points and there is that much time left, the clock is not an issue at that time, especially with the timeouts," said Shanahan, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "The issue was moving the chains. If you move the chains, then you will wind the clock."

Three years ago when he was the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator, Shanahan was widely criticized for his conservative approach during the team's historic Super Bowl collapse against the New England Patriots.

With another championship on the line, the 49ers' head coach used a bolder strategy. But it seems questions about his play-calling decisions will keep haunting Shanahan for the foreseeable future.