In the NFL, the playoffs are coming up, which always bring a special thrill, especially since it’s only one game at a time that decides who advances. It gets particularly exciting when it goes into overtime. Special rules apply here compared to the regular season.
Before the 2022 season, the overtime rule came into effect in the playoffs, which still applies in the regular season: If a team scores a touchdown on the first possession, which is, as always, decided by a coin toss, the game is decided. Just as natural if the defense scores any kind of points first.
Only if none of this happens and the team that has first possession of the ball doesn’t score more than a field goal will the other team also get possession of the ball and can follow suit. If both sides are tied after possession of the ball, the next score would be decided by sudden death. The big criticism of this system, however, was and is that the coin toss is very likely to decide the outcome of the game, because nowadays offenses usually have an advantage over defensive lines.
In the recent past there have been two very prominent examples that can be used against the usual overtime rule:
The Falcons meltdown in Super Bowl LI
The story behind the New England Patriots’ victory in Super Bowl LI is well known. The Patriots around Tom Brady were overrun by the Atlanta Falcons for almost three quarters of the game and then, at 3:28, started the greatest comeback that Super Bowl history has ever seen and will probably see.
Under the big headline of this comeback, it is often forgotten that the game ultimately went into overtime with the score at 28:28. There the Patriots marched across the field again before James White led the Pats into Olympus and finally made a laughing stock of the Falcons.
Sure, the Falcons had lost about as much momentum as you can lose at this point. But the fact that the best offense of the season didn’t even get the ball in its hands in overtime because the coin wanted it that way was simply not fair.
Perhaps the best game in playoff history
In January 2022, the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs faced each other in the divisional round of the playoffs. The game was highly anticipated and became perhaps the best game the NFL Playoffs ever saw.
It went back and forth and even before the two-minute warning in the second round, one could speak of a high-class game. But then the madness really began.
More about this: The feature film of the monster duel
With a field goal in the last second, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker sent the game into overtime. Here, too, the story is told quickly: The Chiefs won the coin toss, marched down the field and advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
The Bills’ offense, which was outstanding in this game under the leadership of Josh Allen, could only watch from the sidelines as their Super Bowl dreams shattered once again.
However, the dramatic defeat had one good thing. Afterwards, the NFL finally made sense and agreed to finally change the overtime rules. A good step, but one that the NFL has so far only taken in the playoffs and not in the regular season.
NFL: This is how overtime works in the playoffs
But what do the rules for overtime look like? First things first: Both teams get the ball at least once!
The game is played in 15-minute increments until a winner is determined; of course there are no draws in the playoffs.
As usual, possession of the ball is decided by a coin toss; teams can still choose whether they want to start with the ball or in defense. If the first attacking team scores a touchdown, the opponent still gets the ball, but of course has to score a touchdown themselves to tie the game.
If that happens, the next score from that point counts for the win. Winning a coin toss still has advantages, as in case of doubt you can start the second round of attack series.
What hasn’t changed is that the initially defending team can win the game with a field goal if the opponent’s drive has been stopped beforehand. Both teams finally had the opportunity to score points with their offense.
More details about overtime
- There is no Coaches’ Challenge, reviews are only controlled from New York.
- After two 15-minute periods there is a halftime as usual, and each team also gets three timeouts per 30 minutes.
- Overtime starts no later than three minutes after the end of the regular game.
- The break between the 15-minute sections is two minutes.
- After two 15-minute periods, the captain of the team that lost the overtime coin toss can decide whether they want the ball. Exception: The team that won the first coin toss decided to postpone the decision until the second “half”, as is customary at the start of the game.
- After four 15-minute periods there is another coin toss.