NFL owners voted on March 23, 2010 to institute new playoff overtime rules to modify sudden death. Though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell backed the change, the vote was up to the 32 NFL owners. The tally was 28 in favor, and 4 against.
The Case for the Overtime Rule Change
The statistic most commonly cited to make the case for modified sudden death included a 38.5% win rate of teams that lost the coin toss since 1994, when the kickoff was pushed from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line. That particular statistic was enough for the Competition Committee to consider the rule change. Typically, teams winning the coin toss elect to receive the kickoff in overtime and only get close enough to kick a field goal.
The topic was fresh in the minds of owners; the Minnesota Vikings lost the coin toss in overtime to the New Orleans Saints, who kicked a field goal on the first possession and went on to the Super Bowl, which they won. Minnesota voted against the change with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Case Against the Overtime Rule Change
Opponents of changing overtime make the case that teams should not have to rely on just one aspect of the game to win. Teams should be confident in putting either the offense or defense on the field, instead of putting all of the proverbial eggs into one basket. Under this theory, the first defense to take the field should stop the first offense and if not, the team doesn’t deserve to win.
Another concern is a possible increased rate of injuries, given the extended playing time. For this reason, the overtime rule change has not been proposed to encompass the regular season.
What Does the Playoff Overtime Rule Change Mean?
- The coin toss will still occur.
- If the first team scores a touchdown on the first possession, they win.
- If the first team kicks a field goal on the first possession, the opposing team will still have a chance to score.
- If the first team kicks a field goal and the second team kicks a field goal, sudden death will occur and the first team to score thereafter wins.
- If the defense scores first, the team wins.
- If, at the end of a 15-minute overtime period the game is still tied, a new overtime period will start and it will be sudden death.
The Rule Change Raises Concerns for Coaches
The new rule changes are not perfect and it is interesting to note that it was the owners who made the decision, not the coaches. On the field, coaches will have to decide whether or not to kick first and how aggressive to be while the owners sit in a luxury box. The case for a rule change during the regular season will remain open for debate at future Owners’ Meetings and some coaches hope for continuity between the regular season and the playoffs.
Ashley Raybourn - Ashley specializes in travel and recreations. She also writes for Demand Media and articles have been published on USA Today Travel ...
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