NFL Overtime Rule: A Failed History of NFL Team Proposing OT Format Change Since 2010

The NFL’s overtime rules have changed quite a bit since 2010, but that hasn’t stopped NFL teams from trying to tweak them during the recent holidays.

The NFL uses an overtime format unique among major North American sports. There is an element of sudden death in injury time, as the team receiving the ball first could end the game if they score a touchdown goal.

However, in recent years, teams like the Chiefs, Eagles and Ravens have made proposals to change that rule. The proposals are different, but they all have at least one thing in common. At a minimum, they wanted to minimize the impact that an overtime coin toss would have on the outcome of the game. Some even tried to ensure that both sides would have the ball in extra time.

Since 2010, there have been a few major changes to the NFL’s overtime regulations, but even more proposals have fallen through. But after the Chiefs-Bills game in the division round of the 2022 NFL knockouts, it looks like we’re bound to take on some more rule change requests in the coming months and years.

Below is a summary of the major changes to the NFL’s overtime rules – both enacted and proposed – since the league implemented new post-season overtime rules in 2010.

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NFL Overtime Rules, Proposed Changes Since 2010

2010: NFL changes post-season overtime rules

The NFL first changed its overtime rule in 2010. At the time, the NFL adopted new overtime rules specifically for the post-season period. The big change was that a goal taken no longer ended extra time; just one touch on the first possession will end extra time.

The new rule was passed by a 28-4 vote, and it was proposed by the NFL’s competition committee at a 6-2 clip. The main reason was Rich McKay, the team that won the coin in extra time won the game nearly 60% of the time and 34.4% of the first ball.

“Many people on the committee, myself included, were called traditionalists,” said then- Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian. ESPN. “I’m proud to be one of them. But once you look at the stats, it’s clear that we have to do something.”

Later, the competition committee’s co-chair, Rich McKay, also explained that the proposal was popular because it maintained the side of sudden death that is only available in the NFL overtime.

The rule change comes after the Saints’ overtime win over the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game in 2010, but it’s not directly tied to the rule change. In fact, the owner of the Vikings, Zygi Wilf, is said to have voted against the change.

“You need consistency both season and post-season,” said Wilf.

2012: NFL implements post-season OT rules in regular season

Two years later, Wilf has acquired the consistency he considers important in making any rule changes. The NFL extended the new post-season overtime rule to the regular season starting in 2012.

This comes after two post-season games were played with the new overtime rules. The first was the 2011 Broncos-Steelers game, where Tim Tebow ended instantly by throwing a winning touchdown to Demaryius Thomas in the first offensive game of extra time. The second was the 49ers-Giants game in 2012, which saw the giants win despite being stopped in the opening leg. They blocked the 49ers and drove down to win the game.

The sample size was small, but the playoff injury rule change was popular enough among NFL owners that they moved it to the regular season. The possibility always existed when they first made the rule change that it would scale to that capacity, and after two years of running the test, they clearly felt comfortable enough with it.

2017: NFL shortens overtime

In 2017, the NFL’s competition committee recommended that the NFL shorten overtime to 10 minutes. Previously it was about the same length as a normal quarter, 15 minutes. Mandatory federation, thus creating a 10-minute overtime interval.

Why did the NFL agree to do this? According to commissioner Roger Goodell, it’s all about player safety.

“We think this is an important change, especially for teams that may be experiencing overtime and extended overtime that may have to return and play on Thursday night, so this is another positive change,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to NFL.com.

In the five years before the rule change, there were 83 overtime games played in the NFL. Only 22 of them (26.5%) lasted at least 10 minutes after extra time. As a result, the federation shortened overtime to prevent injuries and extra games from happening, at the expense of slightly more frequent relationships.

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2019: The team leader’s proposal for both teams to receive the ball failed

The captains launched a major overtime rule change proposal in 2019 after they lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. In that contest, Patrick Mahomes and the captain never saw the ball in extra time, as Tom Brady and the Patriots ran 75 yards for a touch in their first possession, enacting a sudden touch rule. death.

As such, the Chiefs have set out to change that. They proposed a rule that would allow each team to have possession at least once in extra time, even if the team in possession of the first ball to score touches the ball. It is also proposed to eliminate the coin flip and rely solely on the coin flip before the game to decide which team will receive or kick in extra time.

“I think everyone wants a chance to let the boys do what they do,” said General Manager Brett Veach. Pro Football Talk when asked about the proposed rule change in March 2019. “I really don’t see the downside to that. Especially when you have a player like Pat Mahomes. It’s going to be fun. I think everyone, If they hadn’t been tuned for a great game, that extra time would have been turned on.”

However, NFL owners disagree with Veach, Andy Reid and the captains. Kansas City’s proposal received little support in meetings and was tabled due to a “lack of support” for the change, according to the report. Boston.com. The owners didn’t even vote on this issue.

Ironically, those very unchanged rules benefited the Captain three years later in a playoff win over the Bills.

2020: Eagle tries to change coin toss rule, rejected

The Eagles make a proposal in 2020 that looks like “minimize the impact of an overtime coin toss.” How? Well, it involves using the total number of touches to determine who gets the ball in extra time, as described by SB Nation.

The Eagles cited “competitive fairness” and “fan interaction” as the main reasons for their requested rule change.

In short, the team that attacks better and scores more touches will receive the ball first. So, instead of relying on coins to choose which team will go first, they are relying on a game-related stat.

Of course, as the proposal noted, that rule change won’t eliminate the need to toss a coin entirely. Still necessary if the teams have an equal number of touches.

That’s part of the reason why the proposal never entered the voting process as a potential NFL rule change. And it could also be part of the reason the Eagles moved in favor of another potential overtime rule change in 2021.

2021: Ravens and Eagles overtime proposal “and choose” to stop working

The Ravens and Eagles took an unorthodox approach to changing the NFL’s overtime rules. They designed a proposal to give the overtime coin a less obvious competitive advantage in overtime.

Here is a suggested overtime. The winner of the coin toss can choose one of two things. They can choose to catch the ball when attacking or defending, or they can choose the teeing position to start extra time.

For example, a team may choose to receive the ball, but then their opponent may choose to tee off at their own 1-yard line, which causes the offending team to drive the length of the field to score. Conversely, a team might choose to tee off above its 15-yard line, and that would force the opponent to make a tough choice about whether they want to attack or defend.

This will create a real swoop format that will minimize the impact of an overtime coin toss. Why? Because the winning team will not automatically benefit from the winning toss, as if they chose to receive, they could see the ball placed deep in their territory. And if they pick the right ball, they will have to play defensively.

“We think the main thing is the spot and pick aspect of it is to make it fair,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, per Ravens.com. “Any luck involved would be a bouncing ball, not a coin flip. I think that’s something the fans will appreciate. “

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“Although it’s really engaging and exciting, it’s a lot of strategic stuff. It’s a very simple concept,” he added. “Easy to understand, I think, once you get the hang of it. It’s a lot less lines in the rule book, I can tell you that.”

However, NFL owners are not yet ready to accept that rule in 2021. The proposal was rejected because of it. “not getting enough support” from the competition committee. The team also did not recommend a non-abrupt overtime of 7 and a half minutes.

That said, competition committee chairman Rich McKay praised the Ravens’ idea proposal and noted that it could “take a long time” to fully understand.

“It’s a refreshing idea,” McKay said at a press conference with reporters. “I think Baltimore has done a really good job at explaining it. I think such ideas take a long time to instill and understand. It’s not very supported, but I’ve adhered to the guidelines before. rule that didn’t have a lot of support over the years and suddenly passed. I think it’s good that they brought it up.”

The league made an extra time change before 2021. They Final Removed overtime for pre-season games in 2021 after several years of teams suggesting it disappeared. It is simply not needed in show games where third and fourth string players usually play at the end of the rule.