“Sudden Death”: Does the NFL Unfair Overtime
US media, players and, of course, fans have repeatedly raised their voice in the last few hours and prompted the rule heads at the National Football League to finally draw a final line under the previous procedure.
Currently, the rule looks like this: prevails according to the 60 minutes of regular football playing time, it goes into a ten-minute extension. Here, VIA coin toss is decided which team is allowed to attack first. Now the Crux: Should the team come to a touchdown directly with this first drive, the match is over, and the loser must go without even having the ball in the overtime once. Only with no points or a Field Goal continues.
Allen sober: They had a play more than us
To that Crux, the night from Sunday to Monday was the breathtaking exchange between Chiefs and Bill. Both Kansas City around Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo around Josh Allen threw the touchdowns only to the ears, alone within the final 114 seconds there were three change of leadership plus the late 36: 36 compensation. But then the bills made the mistake and lost the coin toss. Tengelmann Mahomes thanked a Touchdown Pass on Travis Hence.
Or, as the Bills star outstanding with 329 Passing Yards, 68 Rushing Yards and four touchdown passports, formulated all afterwards: They had a play more than we, it was ultimately. Thus, the playmaker hit the nail on her head.
The Overtime rule of the NFL initially officially states: Each team must come in possession or have the opportunity to come in possession. But then the following comes back: Exception: If the team, which first gets the egg, scored a touchdown in the first drive. And exactly this addition bother many, for example the longtime tight End Greg Olsen (Bears, Panthers, Seahawks). This wrote on Twitter: In a game where no team could stop the other, the coin toss decides.
The statistics underpin this impression: Since the rule is intact – 2010 (PLAY-OFFS) or since 2012 (Regular Season), it has given 163 Overtime games in the Regular Season – with a balance of 86:67:10 for the team who won the coin toss. In the final round, it looks even more clearly: in so far eleven games with extension won ten times the team, which came to the ball first (seven times with a direct touchdown on the opening drive). The only loser in this play-off scenario was the Saints 2018 against the RAMs.
Fresh approaches and a curious case
It is also different in college football in the US. There both teams come at the opposing 25-yard line in possession of possession. If there is still a draw, every team gets a second time the ball. From the fifth overtime, a two-point conversion must follow on every touchdown. So there is absolute equal opportunities in this case.
Brecht in the AFC Final 2019 on exactly the overtime way, as he now won against Buffalo: Patrick Mahomes. Imago / UPI photo
In addition, the Baltimore Ravens first brought a new idea in March 2021: after the proposal of the team from the AFC North, the extension in Sudden-Death mode would take place with ten minutes after Spot and Choose. So a team would place the egg in a place – and the other decides whether played by the offense or the defense. A second proposal provides that the game will be continued for seven minutes and 30 seconds – and the team, which is in the end of the exam time in the lead, will be explained to the winner. But as with all official proposals, 23 of the 32 teams have to agree to be implemented such a rule.
And here it is also interesting here regarding Chiefs Vs. Bills: After Kansas City 2018/19 in a dramatic way the AFC final with 31:37 against the late Super Bowl Champion New England around Tom Brady also in Overtime by a direct Touchdown of the Patriots had lost it proposed an adaptation of the rules. But many teams refused – including Buffalo.
After all, Chiefs-Star Mahomes had a nice gesture part: right after his decisive touchdown pass to Tight End Hence, quarterback did not join the celebrations. The Super Bowl winner of 2019/20 immediately ran to the sad all.