NFL OT rules

[Guts]

Some facts gleaned from an Ian Rapaort twitter discussion

The current OT rules date from 2010 for the playoffs and 2012 for the regular season,

Under the current OT rules, teams winning the coin toss are 86-67-10. So they won 56.2% of the games that didn't end in a tie, and 52.8% overall.
So it is an advantage, though small. Even the 10 ties all were more than one possession, so the 52.8% seems reflective of an impact of winning the coin toss. Of course ties are not given in the playoffs.

The playoff situation though is where the numbers get skewed and that leave us feeling that something is amiss. 11 playoff games have gone to OT since 2010 and the team winning the toss is 10-1, or 90.9%. Only the Saints in 2018 lost, in the NFCCG vs. the Rams.

Is this just small sample size, or is it something to worry about?

I am not sure how many of the 10 were won on 1st possession TDs.

I think it's a fair thing to worry about. The NFL today is all offense and by overtime the defenses are pretty much gassed. I still like how OT is however your defense gets paid millions too

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Play the entire 15 minute OT in the post season only

I agreed with this. Its one and done, so you can’t have cheap wins in the playoff

 

[Triumph]

.I agreed with this. Its one and done, so you can’t have cheap wins in the playoff

The Chiefs whined and complained when in the 2019 AFCC NE scored the first TD in OT.

In 2222, the Chiefs see no problems with the OT format.

 

[aluminum seats]

The simplest way is also the best way: if the game is tied, the clock continues to run at the end of regulation without a reset/coin toss/kickoff. Whoever has the ball keeps the ball. Next score of any kind wins.

Overtime strategy is baked into end game strategy.

It’s perfect, actually.

That completely removes the element of time management at the end of the game, though. No need to rush, we have the ball as long as we need it.

 

[yukon cornelius]

I think it's a fair thing to worry about. The NFL today is all offense and by overtime the defenses are pretty much gassed. I still like how OT is however your defense gets paid millions too

time to start to de-Polianiaze the league.....return balance to the rules and officiating to empathize defense and special teams and stop favoring offense.....otherwise the league will continue to move towards being an NBA all-star game on turf

do you think if the rams/49ers went into OT we'd be having this same discussion?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Not really. It’s still a coin toss and the winner gets a preference. It just adds a silly gimmick.

It might be a "gimmick," but it makes it a strategic decision. I could also see a scenario where each team "bids" on where to receive the ball. One bid, further from their goal line starts; e.g., if KC wanted it from KC 30 but BUF wanted it from BUF 25, BUF gets the ball. If there's a tie, whoever kicked most recently gets the ball.

 

[Ring 6]

It might be a "gimmick," but it makes it a strategic decision. I could also see a scenario where each team "bids" on where to receive the ball. One bid, further from their goal line starts; e.g., if KC wanted it from KC 30 but BUF wanted it from BUF 25, BUF gets the ball. If there's a tie, whoever kicked most recently gets the ball.

I find that horrific.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Sure we benefited a lot from these rules over the last few years but maybe it's time now to rethink the OT rules to counter the effect of a great passing offense that the modern rules support. It's not working now. I agree that it's up to the defense to stop them but the modern game favors passing and great passing offenses will almost always have an edge over a defense in overtime no matter how good the defense is. I'd like to see the breakdown of OT games ending on one possession and who is their QB. I bet the pattern will be obvious.

A coin flip should not decide the outcome. I think the league has to figure out a way to guarantee both teams a possession in OT. I don't mind something like the CFL or NCAA rules. Something like starting at the opposing 35 yard line. If you score a TD then you're forced to go for 2. Then the other team gets a chance. Maybe after 3 of these sequences if it's still tied then go to some gimmick finish like the NHL does. Or maybe a shortened "fifth quarter" and if still tied then go to the gimmick finish. That seems more fair than what we have now.

i am for a shortened 5th quarter. If tied after that, go to the NCAA type overtime.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Imagine your first concern of the Chiefs-Bills result being the overtime rules and not the fact that scoring points is so easy that each team accidentally scored too quickly on three occasions in the last two minutes? The major problem is imbalance between offense and defense, which is especially bad at the end of games.

Guaranteeing each team the ball once is a pretty laughable knee-jerk “solution” to this.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

The rules are fine the way they are now. They made it perfect when they changed it from needing a FG to needing a TD on the first drive. The game wasn't decided on a coin toss. It was decided when the bills defense didn't stop KC with 13 seconds to go OR in overtime. They have nobody to blame for that loss but themselves. Like I said before, the defense gets paid too. If you can't get a stop with the game on the line then you deserve to lose. You don't deserve a rule change.

 

[CantonJester]

There's nothing wrong with the OT rules. For the folks who want more football: you do understand that both teams' defenses were positively spent by halfway through the fourth quarter, right?

 

[Nehalem]

For the regular season the answer is simple:

Eliminate OT.

If you want to win score more points in regulation. A tie is the perfectly fair solution. As I believe there are less than 20 OT games a year I think having approximately 1 tie per week is acceptable.

And there will probably actually be less ties, as teams will be incentivized to "go for 2" at the end of the game if they want the win.

 

[‘Mondre]

It’s really amazing how much Allen fandom is bubbling up on this board. “It’s hard not to like him” ****in clowns. What’s hard not to like about dak, mahommes, Herbert, burrow? “He worked his way u” THEY ALL DO

you think he’s cute.

Screw the bills.

 

[Sicilian]

So, disclaimer: I'm in favor of not changing the rules from what they are. But if they have to be changed for some reason, and you want to guarantee both teams touch the ball, how about this wrinkle:

Coin toss to decide who takes the ball first. Safety on the first drive ends the game. Field goal on the first drive is same rules as today, other team has a chance to possess and needs the field goal to get it to true sudden death, or touchdown to win (so far, same as current rules).

But, if a touchdown is scored on the opening drive of OT, the other team gets their drive, BUT, if they score a TD, they HAVE to go for 2. They're not allowed to re-tie the game and keep it going. This keeps the OT from going on forever because teams can keep matching scores, adds an exciting element to the final play, and gives both teams a pretty equal opportunity. Only caveat would be if Team A misses their extra point, then Team B can kick it to win.

Again, I don't think it's necessary. I think the lop-sided numbers in the playoffs are part small sample size and in reality defenses should just play better or teams should prioritize winning in regulation is they don't want things left to chance. But thoughts on this idea? Other glaring problems with it (beyond just "rules are fine")?

 

[‘Mondre]

The fact that there’sso many varying alternatives with no clear consensus proves that what we have now is fine.

the goal of overtime should be to fairly decide a winner in the shortest amount of time possible.

when teams have the same score, a random, evenly distributed coin flip to decide who’s on offense is fair because teams, like when the score was 0-0, are now even.

what were seeing is fan boys coming to grips with the 3-pointification/curryification/superteamification of the league which btw, by apeing and deifying the Brady manning rivers who’s who of the 00s helped create.

but we all hate goddell right? The man most responsible for the second dynasty right?

late capitalism. rainbow capitalism feigning concerns for safety. fake woke bs.

I’m not mad at the kids for glamorizing players for their own sake, I’m blaming the grown ass simp ass rednecks here.

its your fault.

 

[reesebobby]

The Chiefs whined and complained when in the 2019 AFCC NE scored the first TD in OT.

In 2222, the Chiefs see no problems with the OT format.

Yeah. And I don't remember any threads about the need to change the OT rules here in 2019. Now here is one when the Pats don't like the outcome. It's human nature.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

It’s really amazing how much Allen fandom is bubbling up on this board. “It’s hard not to like him” ****in clowns. What’s hard not to like about dak, mahommes, Herbert, burrow? “He worked his way u” THEY ALL DO

you think he’s cute.

Screw the bills.

The way he plays QB is beyond just cute.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The Chiefs whined and complained when in the 2019 AFCC NE scored the first TD in OT.

In 2222, the Chiefs see no problems with the OT format.

Ummmm...Andy Reid says that even though he won this time, his opinion from 2019 is unchanged.

 

[pazrul72]

My question for all the both teams need a possession BS is ok the Bildos get a crack at it, score a TD, still a tie game right? So now we have the exact same issues with an extra 14 points on the board. The entire point of OT is to break the tie. Current rules are as fair as you are going to get with that goal in mind.

 

[Bobby T]

Could they give the first shot to the home team?

It would be an extra bonus/advantage for having won more games in the regular season and the visiting team would know the situation ahead of time, at least making end of regulation scoring decisions (i.e., going for the win vs. going for OT).

It wouldn't guarantee both teams get a shot if they kept the rest of the rules the same as now. But it would remove the arbitrariness of a coin flip.

This is what I think too. If it’s “unfair” then the home team that earned home field gets the edge. Personally I think overtime is fine as it is but I’m not in love with pass happy football. Bills Chiefs might have been exciting but it was actually terrible football. They were throwing to wide open guys in the middle of defensive breakdowns. Bad football if you ask me.