Overtime rules have been a topic of discussion for years among NFL fans, and the rules have been changed a handful of times. The topic arose after week one when the Rams and Lions went into overtime, and the Rams were not allowed to score. Two of our contributors tackled the subject this week.
Yes
By: Steffen White
I’m the first to appreciate the changes made to the NFL overtime system this past offseason. With that being said, they didn’t fix the worst possible ending in sports: a tie.
We’ve had MLB games go on for over 20 innings, and the NBA allows as many overtimes as you need. Why, then, must we draw the line with the NFL? The competitiveness and desire to win no matter what drives athletes and fans to sports. I understand that football is a more physical sport than the others, but that does not matter when it comes to college football or the Illinois High School Association.
We saw a seven-overtime game between LSU and Texas A&M as recently as 2018. Nobody was worried about anything except winning the game, which is how it ought to be.
Suppose NFL players aren’t physically equipped to handle extended overtime, then why does the IHSA state, “All regular season varsity football games shall be played to completion?” We know that high schoolers’ brains are not fully developed, yet they can finish the game no matter how long it takes.
The NFL is the pinnacle of the football world, where the best of the best square off every single week. If a game ends in a tie, nobody wins and everybody loses.
No
By Umar Syed
The NFL overtime rule is something many football fans and players have expressed mixed feelings about. The overtime rule does not need to be changed because it has already been changed in the past.
The last rule was a sudden death overtime, meaning that whoever has the ball first in overtime has a chance to score, and if they do it with a touchdown, the game is over.
However, if there is a field goal on the first possession, the opposing team can win the game with a touchdown or tie with a field goal, and the next team to score will win the game. These rules were enforced from 2010 to 2017 when NFL officials began to have safety concerns for their players.
As a result, the league changed the overtime rule from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. In 2022, the rules were amended again after a controversial playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. During the game, the Chiefs won the coin toss and scored on the first possession, and the Bills offense never got an opportunity to step on the field.
After the game, NFL fans spoke out against the rules on social media. In response, the NFL changed the rules in the playoffs so that both teams have an opportunity to score.
We must remember that, like most sports, football is very physical, and players get exhausted. If you turn the NFL overtime rules into something like soccer overtime, you make it a completely different game.
