The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers in overtime 28-22 in the NFC Championship Game. The Green Bay Packers never touched the ball in the overtime period. The Seahawks won the coin toss and marched all the way down to the Green Bay 35 yard line. That’s when Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35 yard touchdown. That punched the ticket for the Seahawks to go the Super Bowl. Green Bay never had the opportunity to have the football.
The NFL is the only level in football where a team that scores first in overtime wins if they get a touchdown. Most teams don’t go for the field goal. The coin toss means a lot. The NFL adopted the sudden death format in 1974. The rule then was that any score would win a game. The rule was intact until the 2010 season. Now a field goal on the first possession won’t end the game but a touchdown will.
In college football, the coin toss assigns who will be on offense and defense for the first overtime. Teams start at the opponents’ 25 yard line. If they score a field goal or a touchdown the other team has a chance to match that. Teams switch off who gets the ball first in each overtime. If teams go to a third overtime, then they have to go for two points after touchdowns. They will keep doing this until there is a winner. Many states have adopted this format for high school football. This at least gives both teams the chance to have the football in overtime.
In the Canadian Football League each team starts at the opposing teams’ 35 yard line. If they score a touchdown they must go for two points. The other team will have a chance to match it. In the regular season this goes on for two overtimes. Then it is a tie but in the playoffs they keep going until there is a winner.
The Arena Football League gives both teams a chance to have the ball. Teams will each have a possession. If they are tied after that, the next team to score wins. This is fair to both teams. In college football, high school football, the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League the coin toss doesn’t determine who might win the game in the first possession in overtime.
The NFL overtime coin toss decides too much. Most of the time, the team losing the coin toss looses the game. The NFL believes they have improved overtime by designating that a field goal continues the game and a touchdown ends it. Why not give both teams a chance no matter who wins the toss.
Imagine this scenario. In two weeks, Seattle and New England are tied after regulation and head into overtime. Seattle wins the coin toss and scores a touchdown to end the Super Bowl. Tom Brady never gets a chance to have the ball in overtime. What would happen then? The NFL might be pressured into improving the overtime rules.
What can we do to make the NFL overtime better?
I completely agree. The coin toss should not decide the game. Both teams should get a chance in overtime. Sadly it takes too much for the NFL
to make changes even necessary ones
I think it’s a money/airtime issue. If overtime goes too long the networks catch flack for missing regularly scheduled programming. Not everyone watches football. Wonder if they could have a side channel that would allow the game to continue past the set overtime so people looking for the regular programming could see the scheduled stuff but the game could continue on say….11.3 which is the next digital opening that hasn’t got anything on it yet. Not sure how it would work with cable boxes, of course they have lots of options, send them to the sports channel or football channel.
NFL is worried about air time for sure. I still think you can play overtime for a lot longer then they have. Look at the NHL overtime in the playoffs. They play until someone scores. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes other times it takes 2 hours and no commercials breaks. Sure it takes over regular programing. The NFL can change the overtime if they want. The regular programing you could find on the networks website to watch it later. Most people who have cable don’t have the channel 11.3. They have either channel 11 or channel 12.
Concur. Change is needed. Think the U.S./NCAA collegiate system for OT is the right solution. As to TV issues …. it’s usually sports talk shows and game summary shows that follow the game. Delaying these shows should present minimal problems. HAF
This is true expect for the commercials. That’s where the networks get their money and advertisers only spend a certain amount for advertising. So what happens when time runs over?