3 NFL playoff games which could've turned out differently had the league's new OT rules been in place
The NFL decided this week to make a requested change to the postseason overtime rules. After much outcry, the league owners have agreed to a rule where both teams must each have a possession in overtime during any playoff game.
As with any rule change, hindsight always comes into play. Fans who felt wronged by the old rule will now make noise, saying history could have been different if this rule had been in place in the past.
So which fans should be the most upset? Three games in particular have stood out in the recent past that could have been different with this new NFL rule.
3 NFL postseason games that would have been different with the new rule
#1 - Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs, 2021 Divisional Round
We start with the most recent of them all. This past season's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills is already considered by some as one of the greatest games in NFL history.
Big fans of the new overtime rule. 😅
#GoBills | #BillsMafia https://t.co/sUjBngolGY
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes went back and forth all game, only for the latter to get his team to overtime with 13 seconds to work with at the end of regulation. The Chiefs then won the coin toss and all Allen could do was watch from the sidelines in horror as his defense let a sure victory slip away.
#2 - New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs, 2018 AFC Championship
Mahomes is on the list again after bursting onto the scene during the 2018 season.
He took home MVP honors in his first year as a starter and nearly dethroned the mighty Tom Brady to win the AFC. Instead, the New England Patriots won the toss, and Brady proceeded to drive all the way down the field for a score.
This means the Chiefs have both benefitted and suffered under the old rule. This coin toss in particular did not end the Chiefs' greatness, but it did prevent a Super Bowl for Mahomes as a rookie.
#3 - New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl LI
The Patriots and Brady always seemed to possess amazing luck. This Super Bowl matchup against the Atlanta Falcons drove that point home as New England overcame a 28-3 deficit to force overtime.
Playoff overtime was already exciting.
It's about to get even more fun. 🔥 https://t.co/yVxHncMfLz
New England won the toss and fans sensed the game was over, given the way the Falcons totally collapsed.
But perhaps if they had a chance to get the ball, Matt Ryan could have still led his team down the field to tie the game. Yet Brady getting the ball against a reeling Falcons defense signaled the end of a historic game.
Also Read: "It's never going to be perfect"- NFL analyst believes overtime will always have problems