Graphic by Raj Brodie
Renee Lu
Sports Reporter
This offseason, NFL owners voted 29-3 in favor of changing the playoff overtime rules.
After the thrilling Chiefs-Bills AFC divisional-round matchup, which ended in Josh Allen and the Bills never getting the chance to play on offense in overtime, people wondered what would have happened if the Bills did get the chance to play on offense or if the game would have ended differently if they had won the coin toss.
The new overtime rules state that both teams will get a chance to drive the ball on offense, no matter what happens on the first possession. After that, if both teams are tied, the game will go into sudden death. A sudden death play determines the winner of the game because as soon as one team is ahead of the other, the game is immediately over.
Although it seems to be an advantage that both teams get a chance to play on offense, there are still some holes in the rules. For example, if both teams score and the game is tied, whoever wins the coin toss will have a higher chance of winning when the game switches to sudden death.
As a result, these rules may encourage teams to have a riskier playstyle in overtime. Due to the guarantee of a possession, teams who lose the coin toss can elect to perform an onside kick with the hopes that if they recover it, all they will need is a field goal to win. In a worst-case scenario, the other team scores, and now they still have a chance to play on offense.
Teams can additionally opt to defer the ball to see what their offense would need to do to win the game, although this too will come with some risks because if both teams score on their possession, then the other team will have the advantage of starting with the ball going into sudden death.
As NFL teams continue to have more effective offenses, this rule change was inevitable, and although it seems for the better, there are still many holes in the new rule.
