Several proposals to change the NFL’s current overtime format are expected to be heard by the league’s Competition Committee during the NFL Scouting Combine. The NFL’s current overtime format has been a hot-button topic ever since the Bills‘ offense did not get a chance with the ball before losing to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
Speaking of Buffalo, Bills general manager Brandon Beane offered his idea on how to improve the overtime period. Beane’s unique idea would ensure that both teams get at least one opportunity to possess the ball during the extra period.
“Ours is going to be more instead of one possession and then you get the other possession, is a time, similar to in basketball, you play five minutes,” Beane said, via the Associated Press. “Baseball, both teams get the top half and the bottom half (of an inning). So a time limit, and I’m talking about postseason only. That way, both teams will definitely have a chance and maybe even more than one possession.”
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Beane’s proposal will likely be one of several presented to the Competition Committee. The Indianapolis Colts, for example, have submitted a proposal to guarantee each team an overtime possession, according to NFL Network’s Judy Battista. If approved, the rule change would apply to both the regular and postseason. Last year, the Ravens proposed a “spot-and-choose” rule where a team would choose the yard line where the overtime drive starts and the other team would decide whether they want to play offense or defense to start overtime.
Teams may propose overtime changes for solely the postseason or for both the regular season as well as the postseason. It is unclear whether there is enough of a league-wide consensus to alter the league’s current overtime format.
The NFL implemented a sudden-death overtime format for any divisional tiebreak games in 1940. The league added sudden-death overtime to the postseason in 1946. The NFL’s first-ever overtime period was played during the 1958 NFL Championship Game, with Johnny Unitas’ Colts posting a 23-17 win over the Giants.
It wasn’t until 1974 when the league instituted sudden-death overtime for any regular-season game that was tied after 60 minutes. The overtime period changed from 15 to 10 minutes for regular-season games in 2017. In 2011, the NFL made a change to playoff overtime games that was implemented into the regular season in 2012. Those changes, which are still in effect today, give the team that starts overtime on defense a chance to possess the ball as long as they don’t allow a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. If both teams kick a field goal on their initial drives, overtime goes into sudden death. A touchdown immediately ends the game.
The Chiefs were involved in both of the NFL’s 2021 postseason overtime games. A week after defeating the Bills, an interception by Patriots Mahomes on the Chiefs’ first possession of the AFC Championship Game led to Evan McPherson’s game-winning field goal, sending the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI.
