NFL To Change Post-Season Overtime Rule After Bills Playoff Losses

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The NFL’s 32 clubs approved a rule change Tuesday to ensure both teams have possession of the ball at least once in overtime games. Measure comes months later Kansas City wins a divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo BillsThere were no chances to score in extra time.

The change to the league’s overtime rules marks the first time since 2010 when clubs voted to allow teams that scored in the opening overtime to win in a playoff game. (Before that, the team to score any goals in overtime won first.) The rule, which inherently gave an advantage to the team that won the overtime coin flip, was extended into the regular season in 2012.

Since 2010, 12 postseason overtime games have been played, and the team that won the coin toss before extra time won 10 of these 12 games. Seven of those 10 wins were touchdowns on the first drive.

The game between Kansas City and Buffalo in January could have been the most dramatic of such games. Strong offenses from both teams landed a total of four touchdowns in the final two minutes of regulation, and Kansas City scored a touchdown in the first overtime, winning 42-36.

In the aftermath, commentators, fans, and football managers complained that viewers couldn’t see the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen was also trying to score in overtime, an outrage that prompted the league to adopt the new rule.

Calling the rule change “bittersweet”, Bills Coach Sean McDermott said, “It should be the latest example for change and that was the last straw, hey, we need to move forward and do this.” “It’s the right thing for the game.”

Both teams will now be guaranteed possession of at least one ball, regardless of the time. If both teams score a goal in the opening runs, the team to score the next point wins.

The rule change proposal made by the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles staff would affect both the 2021 regular season and the postseason. McDermott said there was strong support for making this change just for the postseason, adding, “That’s where we started.”

But the rule change will prolong the games. Some coaches, including Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh, have flagged this as a player safety concern, a reason to limit it to post-season when teams are on the line.

After losing the AFC championship game to the New England Patriots, Kansas City offered overtime changes after the 2018 season for both teams to score in the first drive.

McDermott said the Bills’ playoff game against Kansas City was quoted several times at the meeting as the teams discussed the rule change.

“It might be the biggest 20 to 30 minutes of football I’ve ever seen,” said Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons and chairman of the NFL’s competitive committee. “And thinking it ended that way definitely brought up the idea, hey, does this work for anyone?”