The NFL could eventually make changes to its overtime rules to guarantee
both teams an opportunity to possess the ball, but the format will remain the same for at least the 2019 season.
On Wednesday, NFL owners did not vote through a proposal from the Kansas City Chiefs that would have given both teams at least one possession in OT — even if the receiving team scores a touchdown. The proposal will be reviewed again next year, and there is some support for implementing the change at least for the playoffs.
The #Chiefs overtime proposal will be reconsidered next year and may be implemented in the future just for the playoffs. They’ll spend the next year figuring it out.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 22, 2019
It’s no surprise that the Chiefs are the team that made the proposal, as they were on the wrong end of the NFL’s overtime format during the AFC Championship Game last year. After battling back to force OT, the Patriots and their red-hot offense won the coin toss and scored a touchdown, so Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense never got a chance to take the field.
The OT rules are better now than they were years ago, when the receiving team could end the game just by kicking a field goal. Now, you simply have to get a defensive stop or hold your opponent to three points or less if you want a chance to possess the ball. The Chiefs have no one to blame but themselves for not doing that at home in a playoff game, which is why Andy Reid has been careful with his comments about a possible OT format change.
