There is an old saying that goes, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." It appears the 49ers took that advice to heart, with one of the most bizarre final plays you'll ever see concluding San Francisco's 24-24 preseason finale tie against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday at Allegiant Stadium.
Fans weren't the only ones to enjoy the wild spectacle, as 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan revealed it was one of the more unique plays he has witnessed during his lengthy NFL career.
"It was pretty cool. That was one of the more fun plays that I've seen," Shanahan told reporters. "It was frustrating to end there in a tie. You never want to end in a tie, but I'm definitely glad that we don't have to go to overtime in the preseason, so I'd much rather have that.
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"But it was real cool. [Offensive tackle Alfredo Gutierrez] took half an hour to get back in, so we were messing with him that he was doing interviews after and stuff, because his dream finally came true. But, he was still exhausted from it all, so guys had fun with him in there. It was a real fun play, but all for nothing."
With three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the 49ers lined up for one final play from their own 45-yard line while deadlocked in a 24-24 tie with the Raiders.
Quarterback Tanner Mordecai heaved a Hail Mary deep down field, which wide receiver Trent Taylor caught off a deflection, kickstarting a chain reaction of last-ditch lateral attempts that nearly resulted in one of the most incredible preseason plays in NFL history.
San Francisco 49ers
Linebacker Curtis Robinson couldn't contain his excitement on San Francisco's sideline while watching the play unfold, sharing he was ready to run out on the field in celebration if the 49ers pulled off the miracle scoring attempt.
"That was one of the most entertaining finishes to a preseason game I've ever seen in my career," Robinson told NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan. "I wanted them to score, I was ready to run on the field, I was damn near on it. Probably won't see something like that ever again, honestly."
While the 49ers' heroic efforts at walking off the Allegiant Stadium turf with a win fell short, their valiant attempt will live on for eternity.
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