The NFL Needs to Change the OT Rules
People probably read this headline and think, “Psh this kid is just angry about the Patriots making the Super Bowl once again”, but that is not the case. I could care less about the Patriots making the Super Bowl again. There is actually 0 reason for me to be mad at the fact.
Everyone tuning into the NFL right now is getting to witness the best quarterback of all time. When you are 80+ years old you will tell people about how you got to see Tom Brady play, but that’s neither here nor there.
Now that you know I am neither a Patriot fan or Patriot hater, you can view my unbiased opinion as you please: I think that NFL overtime has to change.
There are definitely times where this system works (the Rams, Saints yesterday) but in the AFC Championship I felt kind of cheated. I think that all in all the Patriots are better than the Kansas City Chiefs, but quarterback Pat Mahomes not getting a chance to see the field in overtime was a travesty.
At the end of regulation, it was apparent that both defenses were slowing down. After entering halftime with only 14 points scored, the Chiefs and Pats combined to put up 48 points in the second half. Both teams were almost scoring at will. In fact (if you include overtime) the last six drives of the game resulted in scores.
When this game went into overtime I knew the team that got the ball first was winning. The Chiefs figured out the Pats plan towards the end and the Patriots are the Patriots. But how is it fair that the opposing team doesn’t even get a chance to have the ball in their hands?
Both New England and Kansas City rode their offenses to the AFC Championship. A coin flip determined who was going to be at a disadvantage by putting their defense on the field. “Well the defense should stop them.” Yes they should, but in a league where offenses run wild it is tough to stop either Pat Mahomes or Tom Brady.
My solution is to either adapt college football’s overtime rules or to just give the opposing team a chance to match a touchdown. If they don’t score 6? Game over. If they do score? Keep playing like a regular game. There is no easy fix but the current format the NFL has right now just does not work.
-Jarrod Ribaudo (@Jribs53)
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