Overtime needs to be fixed again

[Saxum]

Or more precisely fix did not work first time.  When the doctor "fixes" it this way usually there is a suit asking for money to support,

 

Three best ways to fix NFL overtime after Chiefs' wild playoff win over Bills brings OT rules under scrutiny

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-conference-championship-games-dates-times-previews-early-odds-for-chiefs-vs-bengals-rams-vs-49ers/

Quote

Under NFL rules, if the team that receives the kickoff in overtime scores a touchdown, then the game is over. If the team kicks a field goal, then the other team will get a chance to have the ball. However, the Bills never got that chance since the Chiefs scored a TD. 

The problem with this format is that puts too much emphasis on the coin toss. The first and most important possession of overtime is decided by a coin, which seems like a weird way to do things when you have two teams who just spent 60 minutes trying to decide things on the field. 

 

How to fix?  CBS writer had 3 ideas.

[Buffalo Boy]

   The Bills didn’t lose due to the OT rules.

   The Bills O had a chance to make bank in the second quarter and played tiddlywinks instead.

    The Bills special teams had a chance to bleed some time off the clock at the end. They didn’t even cause it to go.

    The Bills D had three chances on three consecutive drives to stop the Chiefs and didn’t.

    The Chiefs O ,” They are who we thought they were and we let ‘em off the hook!”

    The OT rules are fine. 

[billsfan1959]

The rules are the rules and I am not upset about it. With that said, I have long believed the overtime rules have needed to be changed for the playoffs. I am not sure what the format should be; however, I think any format providing a fair apportunity for both teams would be an improvement. The 1st two options in the article you linked seem goofy to me. The last option of giving each team the ball (I would add until one team is ahead on an equal number of possessions) seems a good direction to me.

[UConn James]

They do that to limit the game time. It became clear that a single-possession and FG to win was really unfair (given how rules changes have favored offense), so we got this next step of each team gets a possession unless a TD is scored.

 

In a better world, we might get something more fair than a coin flip determining the game, at least for the playoffs. But that’s applicable for games with two elite / unstoppable offenses. It sucks we lost without a shot on O in OT, but I just don’t think it’s enough to change the rule. There were a couple-few ties in the regular season with 10 minutes for someone to score… if you wanna win, you gotta be able to stop the other team. 

[Ya Digg?]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

   The Bills didn’t lose due to the OT rules.

   The Bills O had a chance to make bank in the second quarter and played tiddlywinks instead.

    The Bills special teams had a chance to bleed some time off the clock at the end. They didn’t even cause it to go.

    The Bills D had three chances on three consecutive drives to stop the Chiefs and didn’t.

    The Chiefs O ,” They are who we thought they were and we let ‘em off the hook!”

    The OT rules are fine. 

The OT rules are fine for the regular season, not the playoffs.  I have said to people since the KC/Pats game a couple of years ago that in the playoffs each team should possess the ball.  It's a bad look for the league when your MVP (the year it happened to Mahomes) and your arguably most exciting player (Josh this year) don't get a chance in OT in the playoffs.

 

The Bills aren't using the current rules as an excuse and they shouldn't, but that doesn't mean that the rules are fine.  For the playoffs the rule needs to be fixed.

[NewEra]

As the rules have changed over the years giving the offenses an advantage, it’s only fair to give each team an opportunity on offenses. A count toss should never be the most important aspect of the OT period like it was last night. 

[Cheektowaga Chad]

Play the entire overtime period, involve all aspects of a team offense/defense/special teams

 

For the playoffs at least. No reason you shouldn't play the entire extra period

 

Bills fan or not. I don't think there was a single person watching that game that didn't want to see more allen vs mahomes going toe to toe 

[4_kidd_4]

Put 15:00 on the clock and play til 0:00.

 

The fifth “quarter”.

[May Day 10]

Maybe make it the current rules, but the team receiving the 1st half kickoff gets the overtime possession.  That way, the teams know going in and can plan accordingly.  It could also add a slight advantage to receiving in the 1st half as opposed to the Belichick double-dip strategy at halftime.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I’m fine with as is or just keep adding quarters until there is a winner 

[BuffaloBillies]

College OT rules. But maybe start them at the 40 each time.

[msw2112]

Everyone knew that the coin toss winner was going to win the game, but that's not the reason the Bills lost.  They failed to effectivetively manage 13 seconds.  If the rules change for the better, I'm fine with it, but despite my mental anguish about last night's game, the OT rules are not what's bothering me.

[billsfan1959]

19 minutes ago, NewEra said:

As the rules have changed over the years giving the offenses an advantage, it’s only fair to give each team an opportunity on offenses. A count toss should never be the most important aspect of the OT period like it was last night. 

 

My thinking as well. You can't enact every measure possible to give offenses immense advantages over the defenses and then only allow one team to have those advantages in OT by not giving both offenses a chance.

 

Again, I have believed this for a while now. This is not a knee jerk reaction to last night

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by billsfan1959

[NewEra]

21 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

   The Bills didn’t lose due to the OT rules.

   The Bills O had a chance to make bank in the second quarter and played tiddlywinks instead.

    The Bills special teams had a chance to bleed some time off the clock at the end. They didn’t even cause it to go.

    The Bills D had three chances on three consecutive drives to stop the Chiefs and didn’t.

    The Chiefs O ,” They are who we thought they were and we let ‘em off the hook!”

    The OT rules are fine. 

Your first several points can be said for every team that has ever gone to OT.  “The team could’ve avoided OT and won the game in regulation”.  But that has nothing to do with the question at hand.  
 

Some games DO go to overtime.  OT exists, the NFL should be obligated to making the OT period as fair as possible.  A COIN TOSS should not carry as much weight as it does.  In a league catered to the offense, each offense should have an opportunity.  

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by NewEra

[WMDman]

honestly its fine, you had 13 seconds play some defense 

[CodeMonkey]

18 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

Or more precisely fix did not work first time.  When the doctor "fixes" it this way usually there is a suit asking for money to support,

 

Three best ways to fix NFL overtime after Chiefs' wild playoff win over Bills brings OT rules under scrutiny

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-conference-championship-games-dates-times-previews-early-odds-for-chiefs-vs-bengals-rams-vs-49ers/

 

How to fix?  CBS writer had 3 ideas.

The team that gets the first possession and wins outright like last night happens 19.4% of the time.

The team that gets the first possession wins overall 52.6% of the time.

Not allowing the other team a possession when a FG was scored was broken as kicking 50+ yard FGs has become almost commonplace, particularly indoors.  Yeah it stings that the Bills D sucked so bad last night, but it is meant to be sudden death, not lingering death. It ain't broke IMO, so don't "fix" it.

[TheFunPolice]

The OT rule is fine. Play defense. 

 

College rule isn't even real football. It's just dumb. 

 

Some of these ideas that are being proposed, while creative, change the game too much. It doesn't feel like pro football. 

 

 

[sullim4]

Regular season: 1 10-minute overtime period, played to its completion.  Any tries must be 2 point conversions.  If it's tied after 10 minutes, it's a tie.

 

Postseason: 10-minute overtime periods, played to their completion.  Any tries must be 2 point conversions.  If it's tied after 10 minutes, repeat.

 

As it stands right now, the NFL is akin to extra innings without a guarantee of a bottom half of the inning.  Sure, you could argue that "pitching matters" and so whoever scores first should win.  But it completely ignores the reality of today's NFL where the offense is handed every single advantage.  The coin toss matters too much.

 

[dave mcbride]

25 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

   The Bills didn’t lose due to the OT rules.

   The Bills O had a chance to make bank in the second quarter and played tiddlywinks instead.

    The Bills special teams had a chance to bleed some time off the clock at the end. They didn’t even cause it to go.

    The Bills D had three chances on three consecutive drives to stop the Chiefs and didn’t.

    The Chiefs O ,” They are who we thought they were and we let ‘em off the hook!”

    The OT rules are fine. 

They are terrible in the postseason because the best offenses make the postseason and the rules vastly favor the offense now. For a midseason Jags-Giants game, they are fine because the offenses are mediocre at best. In the postseason, we've seen time after time episodes of elite QBs slicing and dicing an exhausted defense and winning easily in an opening drive. Seattle vs. GB in 2014. Arizona vs. Green Bay in 2015. NE vs. Atlanta in 2016. NE vs. KC in 2018. And now KC vs. Buffalo in 2021.  The rule sucks.

7 minutes ago, sullim4 said:

Regular season: 1 10-minute overtime period, played to its completion.  Any tries must be 2 point conversions.  If it's tied after 10 minutes, it's a tie.

 

Postseason: 10-minute overtime periods, played to their completion.  Any tries must be 2 point conversions.  If it's tied after 10 minutes, repeat.

 

As it stands right now, the NFL is akin to extra innings without a guarantee of a bottom half of the inning.  Sure, you could argue that "pitching matters" and so whoever scores first should win.  But it completely ignores the reality of today's NFL where the offense is handed every single advantage.  The coin toss matters too much.

 

Great post. Agree fully.

Edited January 24, 2022 by dave mcbride

[Buffalo Boy]

Sorry guys,

I don’t think this thread exists IF we won the coin flip yesterday.

We lost this game in regulation after Josh won it for us twice.

If, Josh scored a TD in OT under your “ new rules” we still lose because KC easily scores on their next possession. When is enough enough?

Edited January 24, 2022 by Buffalo Boy