"Great for us, but is it great for the game?" - Andy Reid questions NFL's controversial OT rules
Head coach Andy Reid is taking his team to its fourth consecutive AFC championship after a wild finish on Sunday night.
In a game that became the topic of conversation about the NFL overtime rules, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 42-36, without quarterback Josh Allen ever getting a chance to touch the ball.
Andy Reid, although on the winning side of this controversial topic, says that he wouldn't be opposed to a change. Reid said he agreed that the overtime rules are something that need to be reviewed by the National Football League.
“I had a chance to talk with Sean afterward. And that I’m sure is something they’re going to look at again, too. And I wouldn’t be opposed to it — it’s a hard thing. It was great for us last night, but is it great for the game which is the most important thing we should all be looking out for? To make things equal, it probably needs to be able to hit both offenses, both defenses.”-Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid
Reid gives his take on OT rules; Will the NFL make a change?
Overtime rules in the National Football League currently begin with a coin flip at midfield. The winner of the coin flip then determines if they want to receive the ball first, which is what the Chiefs did on Sunday night.
If the Chiefs or any team that has the ball first scores a field goal, the other team is given an opportunity to get the ball. If what happened on Sunday night occurs and the first team with the ball scores a touchdown, the game is over.
The other team's offense is never given a chance.
Andy Reid on OT rules: "It was great for us last night but is it great for the game?"
Even though his team came out victorious in the divisional round over the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs head coach admitted that both offense and defense should be given an opportunity to take the field.
What Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid told Patrick Mahomes in the final 13 seconds of regulation: “When it’s grim, be the grim reaper.”
In NFL history, there have been 11 playoff games that have entered overtime. In ten of those matchups, the team with the ball first won the game.
With so much on the line in a playoff game, the outcome of the matchup shouldn't be dependent on a coin flip, which is essentially what is happening right now.
The NFL rules committee usually takes time every offseason to review and possibly change the current rules in place, so there is no doubt that overtime will be a topic of conversation with the committee this offseason.