KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 23: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a touchdown scored by Tyreek Hill #10 against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)The NFL overtime rules have once again become a subject of controversy following an incredible postseason that was partially marred by disheartening overtime finishes.
In the AFC Divisional Round, amid an amazing shootout between the Chiefs and Bills, the Chiefs won the game in overtime without letting the Bills offense touch the ball. This prompted a lot of fans to criticize the overtime rule for not allowing the Bills to get the ball back and answer.
Proposals have been put forward to the NFL to ensure that both teams get the ball in playoff overtime games. They’ve largely been ignored until now.
According to Mark Maske of the New York Post, the NFL competition committee is meeting today to discuss changing that rule. Though it would still need 24 out of 32 team votes to pass.
NFL fans are pretty mixed on the idea. For the most part it appears that they aren’t in favor of more rule changes, let alone specific ones for the playoffs:
So if each team gets one possession then what happens if they both score?
Team receiving kickoff that gets third possession again has an edge and we revisit the process all over again… https://t.co/KG9OUNeorO
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) February 27, 2022
More and more, I appreciate the College overtime rules. They're exciting and fun, and it's very rare they go longer than 3 or 4 possessions (first 2 at 25, subsequent at 2 point conversion line). https://t.co/GJyqOVP5Vg
— Songbird Rescue Cat (@makarov__) February 27, 2022
The OT rule is perfect. Cincinnati proved that. I’m sorry the #1 defense (Buffalo), decided not to show up. https://t.co/9ojJDbA1cy
— Zach (@ZachTalksSport) February 27, 2022
I don’t like playing under different rules in the postseason. Teams get to the postseason by winning in the regular season. Also, what happens if both teams score? We keep playing? Sounds like someone isn’t as concerned about player health and safety anymore… https://t.co/P9NXFvCWVU
— JR965TheCave (@Jr965C) February 27, 2022
It’s been a decade since the NFL last changed it’s overtime rule. But that was also done in response to a controversial playoff finish.
It will be interesting to see if the rule change actually gets passed. By the way things are looking, it’s not going to be met with universal support.
What are your thoughts on the NFL overtime rules change suggestion?
