The NFL Competition Committee will discuss its overtime procedures during meetings this week in Indianapolis.
The NFL, during the 2021 season’s playoffs, saw an epic game between Buffalo and Kansas City settled in overtime when the Chiefs won the coin flip and proceeded to march downfield scoring on Patrick Mahomes 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. The opening drive touchdown meant the overtime was concluded without Buffalo and Josh Allen being unable to touch the ball during the overtime.
There has been much talk about how it would have been so much better to have seen what Josh Allen and the Bills might have been able to do, had they been given an opportunity.
Yet, there were also three tight, walk-off divisional-round games that weekend as well. Cincinnati defeated the Tennessee Titans on Evan McPherson’s 52-yard field goal as time expired in Tennessee. Later that evening, Robbie Gould connected from 45 yards as again time expired, and again the road team was the winner, in a 13-10 upset at Green Bay. Finally, after Cooper Kupp inexplicably was open deep for a 44-yard pass from Matthew Stafford, Matt Gay ended the game on his 30-yard field goal on the last play of regulation.
It was the most exciting divisional round in playoff history as all four games ended in walk-off scores. However, only one of these games actually went into overtime. So perhaps the NFL will not simply jump to the fans’ demands.
Perhaps if there is an overtime rule change, the NFL could stipulate that each team is to be given at least one opportunity with the ball on offense?
Yet, the truth still remains. Each team prior to reaching overtime will have already had four quarters of football to stop their opponents from scoring, and multiple possessions to score.
NFL fans and analysts can often be heard discussing how Tom Brady and the Patriots won the coin toss, drove down the field defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the overtime period and Mahomes was not able to touch the ball in that 2018 playoff loss.
Yet, what is often forgotten is that Tom Brady threw a fourth-quarter interception sealing the game for Kansas City. However, an offsides penalty by the Chiefs, nullified the interception, permitting the Patriots to score and send the game into overtime.