Palm Beach, Florida — The NFL’s 32 clubs passed a rule change on Tuesday, allowing both teams to own the ball at least once during overtime in a post-season match.Measures will be taken in a few months Kansas City wins split round playoff game with Buffalo BillsThose who have not been given the opportunity to score in overtime.
The change in the league’s overtime rules was the first change since 2010 when the club allowed the team that recorded the touchdown at the start of overtime in the playoff game to win. (Before that, the team that scored first in overtime won.) The rules that were by nature advantageous to the team that won the coin toss in overtime were extended to the 2012 regular season.
Since 2010, there have been 12 extra-time games after the season, and the team that won the coin toss prior to the extra-time game won 10 of the 12 games. Seven of those ten wins came in the touchdown of the first drive.
The game between Kansas City and Buffalo in January may have been the most dramatic of all such games. The powerful attacks of the two teams recorded a total of four touchdowns in the last two minutes of regulation, and Kansas City recorded touchdowns on the first possession of overtime and won 42-36.
In the aftermath, commentators, fans and football executives lamented that viewers couldn’t see Bills and quarterback Josh Allen trying to score overtime.
“We need the latest example of the change, which was the last straw we need to move forward and do this now,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott, who called the rule change “bittersweet.” “That’s right for the game.”
Both teams are guaranteed at least one possession, regardless of time. If both teams record a touchdown on the opening drive, the next scoring team wins.
Proposals for rule changes made by Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles staff would have affected both the regular and postseason 2021 seasons. McDermott said there was strong support for making this change only in the postseason, “that’s where we were about to get started.”
However, changing the rules will extend the game. Some coaches, including John Harbaugh of Baltimore Ravens, have flagged it as a player safety concern as a reason to limit it to the postseason when the team’s season begins.
Kansas City has proposed a change in overtime to give ownership to both teams after the 2018 season after losing to the New England Patriots, who scored in the first drive touchdown, in the AFC Championship Game.
McDermott said Bills’ playoff game against Kansas City was cited several times at the meeting as the team discussed the rule changes.
Rich McKay, President of the Atlanta Falcons and Chairman of the NFL’s Competition Committee, said: “And, did thinking that it ended that way certainly brought the idea of how it would work for everyone?”