Tag: NFL overtime rules

4-Down Territory: Thibodeaux’s ‘want-to,’ free-agent fits, potential signings, overtime changes

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire discuss Kayvon Thibodeaux, free-agent fits, and the new overtime rules.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, and Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, are back with yet another episode of “4-Down Territory,” in which our intrepid analysts throw a wide net over everything that’s happening in the NFL.

This week, Luke and Doug discuss the myth that Kayvon Thibodeaux doesn’t love football, which free-agent signing will pay the biggest dividends for his new team, which currently unsigned free agents should point to which teams for the best fit, and the overtime rule proposals at the owners meetings (which have fortunately now passed, with a postseason modification).

NFL changes rules to give each team a chance to score in the postseason

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here!

[mm-video type=video id=01fzb7zwp7afkxahaqhh playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzb7zwp7afkxahaqhh/01fzb7zwp7afkxahaqhh-eced49913b91c27de3179b6b463e62bb.jpg]

NFL changes rules to give each team a chance to score in the postseason

The NFL has changed its overtime rules to give each team a chance to score, no matter what. It’s past time for this modification.

On the last day of the 2022 league meetings, NFL owners voted to approve a modified version of a proposal put forth by the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts, which now allows both teams to have a chance to score in overtime. The modification is that the new rule applies only in the postseason, which is just fine, because the postseason was where the former rule, ending a game if the first team with the ball in overtime scores a touchdown, had led to a 10-2 overall disparity between the team taking the ball, and the team on the wrong side of that equation.

It’s past time for this modification, and the rule it replaces was weird and reactionary at best.

In the 2009 NFC Championship game, the New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-28, on a 40-yard Garrett Hartley field goal with 10:15 left in overtime. The fact that Brett Favre wasn’t able to participate in Super Bowl XLIV caused the NFL to alter its overtime rules. Now, instead of a first-drive field goal winning the game, a team would have to score a touchdown or a safety on its first overtime drive to win, and if that team kicked a field goal, the opposing team would have an opportunity to tie or win from there.

In the last four seasons, we’ve seen two different instances in which outstanding NFL quarterbacks were denied any chance to help their teams win a playoff game in overtime, because the opponents scored touchdowns on their first drives. There was the New England Patriots beating Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in the 2018 AFC Championship game on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard Red Burkhead touchdown run. All Mahomes could do was walk off the field, and wait until next year.

Mahomes hasn’t missed an AFC Championship game since, and one reason he made his fourth straight was his incredible performance late in the Chiefs’ 42-36 divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and his crew thought they had it won when Allen threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis with 13 seconds left (it was Davis’ fourth touchdown catch of the game, setting a single-game postseason record), but Mahomes countered with his own particular magic, hitting Tyreek Hill for 18 yards and Travis Kelce for 25 yards, setting up Harrison Butker’s 49-yard field goal as regulation expired.

And then, after the Chiefs won the toss in overtime, Allen could do nothing but watch helplessly as Mahomes engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce.

So, that was two amazing quarterbacks denied any chance at winning, based on the luck of a coin toss. Does that seem fair after 60 game clock minutes of amazing play? In this case, did it make sense to slam the door in Allen’s face in a fourth quarter that featured 25 points and four lead changes in the final 1:54?

I think not.

“The rules are what they are. I can’t complain about that because if it was the other way around, we’d be celebrating, too,” Allen said after the game. “It is what it is at this point. We just didn’t make enough plays tonight.”

Allen is right about that, and the Bills should have squibbed the kick with 13 seconds left to force the Chiefs’ returner to either return the ball and bleed the clock or give himself up with bad field position, but there was nothing Allen could do to counter — simply because of the luck of the draw.

After that 2018 AFC Championship game loss, the Chiefs put forth a similar proposal, only to be told that the league would spend the next year “figuring it out.”

Four years later, the NFL finally figured it out — and did the right thing. Sadly, we can’t play a couple of playoff overtimes in a retroactive fashion, but if you though the 2021 playoffs were incredible, 2022 could be even better.

4-Down Territory: Aaron Rodgers’ future, overtime rules, picking AFC/NFC champs

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield discuss the NFL’s most pressing topics in this Week’s 4-Down Territory.

[mm-video type=video id=01ftbea78w7yf7b6kt2p playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ftbea78w7yf7b6kt2p/01ftbea78w7yf7b6kt2p-95ee0306ed6614cc41d282b183cc225c.jpg]

We have a special guest in this week’s “4-Down Territory,” as Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield joins Doug Farrar to discuss the NFL’s most pressing topics. Erstwhile host Luke Easterling will be back next week, but Mark hit it out of the park regarding Aaron Rodgers’ future plans, how to fix the NFL’s overtime mess, and who will represent the NFC and AFC in Super Bowl XVI.

Larry David bashes NFL overtime rules

Larry David does not like the way the NFL has its OT rules structured

The voice of reason has weighed in on NFL overtime. The great Larry David spoke his mind with Rich Eisen and says OT is ridiculous as currently structured.

“So ridiculous,” David said. “I win a coin toss and I score a touchdown and the other team, they’re done. No good. Why do they not have a chance? A coin toss is deciding the winner of a game. Nothing makes sense in this world.

“I need to be president, not just NFL commissioner … The coin toss is so idiotic. I mean, it’s not idotic, but give the other team a chance to come back. It’s not fair. It’s just not fair. Let’s do what’s fair.”

Of course, the overtime rules mushroomed after Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round game that saw the Kansas City Chiefs score a touchdown on the first drive after the Buffalo Bills lost the coin toss.

One alternative idea to NFL’s current overtime rules

The debate over NFL overtime rules is white-hot again after Bills-Chiefs

The way the Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in an AFC Divisional Round game made the “unfairness” of NFL overtime rules percolate … again.

The Bills called the coin toss for overtime and were incorrect. The Chiefs took the ball and marched down the field for the game-winning touchdown.

Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense never saw the field.

That said, if the Bills won the toss, the cleat could have been on the other foot. And, of course, the stellar Buffalo defense could have found a way to stop KC or limit it to a field goal.

In 11 playoff games that went to overtime, the team that gets the ball first has won 10 — seven with opening-drive TDs. That includes the Patriots wrecking the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

In the regular season, the team that gets the ball first is 86-65-10, with 34 opening-drive touchdowns, according to Sportradar. 

So. how can the NFL fix this perceived injustice in the postseason. The playoffs are different than the regular season, where games have a 10-minute extra period if the result isn’t settled by the end of that timeframe.

The problem with giving the Bills, or the second team, the ball and a chance to tie the game after a touchdown is game strategy becomes warped. Teams could go for it on ridiculous fourth-down situations they would never attempt under normal circumstances.

So, how to create a balance? The Chiefs took eight plays to go 75 yards for the game-winning TD that saw Travis Kelce catch a pass from Patrick Mahomes.

What if the Bills, or the second team, was given the same eight plays after the kickoff to score a touchdown?

The second team would have to attempt the same PAT the first team did.

After that, all would be fair.

If a team scored after taking the kickoff following the OT coin toss, in 1, 8 or 15 plays first, that would be the number of plays from scrimmage the second team would be given.

It levels the playing field … if you believe there needs to be an audible on the current rules. And that is a big if to be debated over and over and …

It’s time for the NFL to change its overtime rules

The Chiefs beat the Bills in the divisional round, but Josh Allen should have had a chance in overtime. It’s time for a rule change.

In the 2009 NFC Championship game, the New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-28, on a 40-yard Garrett Hartley field goal with 10:15 left in overtime. The fact that Brett Favre wasn’t able to participate in Super Bowl XLIV caused the NFL to alter its overtime rules. Now, instead of a first-drive field goal winning the game, a team would have to score a touchdown or a safety on its first overtime drive to win, and if that team kicked a field goal, the opposing team would have an opportunity to tie or win from there.

In the last four seasons, we’ve seen two different instances in which outstanding NFL quarterbacks were denied any chance to help his team win a playoff game in overtime, because the opponents scored touchdowns on their first drives. There was the New England Patriots beating Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in the 2018 AFC Championship game on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard Red Burkhead touchdown run. All Mahomes could do was walk off the field, and wait until next year.

Mahomes hasn’t missed an AFC Championship game since, and one reason he’ll make his fourth straight was his incredible performance late in the Chiefs’ 42-36 divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and his crew thought they had it won when Allen threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis with 13 seconds left (it was Davis’ fourth touchdown catch of the game, setting a single-game postseason record), but Mahomes countered with his own particular magic, hitting Tyreek Hill for 18 yards and Travis Kelce for 25 yards, setting up Harrison Butker’s 49-yard field goal as regulation expired.

And then, after the Chiefs won the toss in overtime, Allen could do nothing but watch helplessly as Mahomes engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce.

So, that’s two amazing quarterbacks denied any chance at winning, based on the luck of a coin toss. Does that seem fair after 60 game clock minutes of amazing play? In this case, does it make sense to slam the door in Allen’s face in a fourth quarter that featured 25 points and four lead changes in the final 1:54?

I think not.

It’s not that the NFL has to put in place some sort of over-complicated overtime system as the NCAA did — a system that eventually had to be amended to prevent 7OT insanities. But it’s simple common sense to, especially when both quarterbacks are this exceptional, give each quarterback a level chance to progress to the next round of the postseason.

If the NFL moved heaven and earth for Brett Favre, it can do so once again for Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Ravens propose new ‘spot and choose’ overtime rule

The Baltimore Ravens have proposed a new overtime rule called the “spot and choose” which would add more strategy to overtime.

The Baltimore Ravens have often been at the forefront of rule changes, regularly suggesting tweaks to the current rule set for what is an ever-changing game. But their latest proposal might just be the best one yet, even if it sounds a little complicated.

You’ll rarely get fans to agree on anything in the NFL but most would say the league’s overtime rules are neither fair nor fun. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Baltimore is looking to change that, coming up with the “spot and choose” proposal for overtime. In short, one team picks the spot of the ball while the other team chooses whether to play offense or defense.

Steven Ruiz of FTW gave a great breakdown of how it would work and add more strategy to overtime:

“So, let’s say Team 1 wins the toss. It could then choose to spot the ball on the offense’s own one-yard line. Now, Team 2 has a decision to make: Is it confident it can drive 99 yards for a score? If so, it would probably choose to start on offense. If not, it would choose defense and try to play the field position game.”

It’s an interesting idea that adds more excitement to overtime and creates an opportunity for coaches and players to make highlight-reel finishes. At the least, it would take a little of the randomness out of the mix as, currently, the team that wins the coin toss is more likely to win the game.

While the rule is set to be proposed, it will still have to be voted on before turning into an actual rule we’ll see on Sundays. For that to happen, 23 other teams will have to agree with the Ravens’ idea.

[listicle id=60646]

The Ravens’ ‘spot and choose’ overtime proposal is so good that it probably won’t pass

‘Spot and choose’ would make overtime so much more exciting.

The Ravens have long been on the cutting edge and coach John Harbaugh has never shied away from meddling with the NFL rulebook, so it’s no surprise Baltimore was the franchise that proposed a rule change that would make overtime strategy a lot more interesting if approved.

According to Pro Football Talk, citing “multiple sources,” the Ravens have proposed a change to the overtime rule they are calling “pick and choose.” In short, one team would pick the spot of the ball for the initial drive of overtime, and the other team would pick whether to start on offense or defense. The team that wins the coin toss would get the first pick, and we’d return to true “sudden death” rules.

So, let’s say Team 1 wins the toss. It could then choose to spot the ball on the offense’s own one-yard line. Now, Team 2 has a decision to make: Is it confident it can drive 99 yards for a score? If so, it would probably choose to start on offense. If not, it would choose defense and try to play the field position game.

It really gets interesting when you start to think of specific matchups and how coaches feel about their team’s strengths and weaknesses.

(If you’ve forgotten how unfair that outcome felt back in 2019, you can watch the entire overtime here.)

Obviously, the strategic aspect makes this rule change appealing. Teams would have their analytics department studying the best strategies and coaches would have to change their approach every week based on the matchup. And then fans and media would get to second-guess those decisions.

But even more fun than that?

We’d get to find out how these coaches really feel about quarterbacks around the league. I’d imagine a team would do whatever it takes to keep the ball out of Mahomes’ hands. But how would they approach, say, Baker Mayfield? Would they dare Baker to drive the field and beat them? And if they did and Mayfield pulled it off, you just know he’d say something about it in the postgame presser. More beef is always fun!

Other than the fact that it’s different, there is no good reason for the NFL to not adopt this rule.  It makes a random coin flip less important, it injects more strategy into the game and it creates more drama.

It’s everything you want in a rule change … which means the NFL will almost certainly shoot it down because — as we learned when the onside kick alternative was shot down last offseason — we can’t have too much fun.

[jwplayer iBASkKms-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=1002428]