"It remains the dumbest thing in sports" - Fans call out NFL's controversial OT rules
The NFL won at the weekend in a big way. The drama served up by the four games in the Divisional Round of the playoffs was something else. Each game seemed determined to be more exciting than the one before, with some fans labeling it the greatest playoff weekend ever, and only a few would argue with them.
Three of the contests were decided by a game-winning field goal. Then came the controversy in the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. With 25 points scored in the final two minutes, the game headed into overtime, and that is what has made fans so upset.
Twitter user Rory Cooper was blunt with his comments on the league's overtime rules, calling them the "dumbest thing in sports."
The NFL overtime rules remain the dumbest thing in sports.
The NFL overtime rules state that the team who receives the ball first, which itself is decided by a coin toss, can end the game if they score a touchdown. The other team does not get a chance to possess the ball, which is exactly what happened on Sunday night.
With the Bills leading 36-33 thanks to Gabriel Davis' fourth touchdown of the night, an NFL playoff game record, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes had 13 seconds to get within field goal range to send the game to overtime. In some way, somehow, they managed it, and Harrison Butker's 49-yard field goal was successful.
The Chiefs won the coin toss, marched down the field and Mahomes threw the game-winning touchdown to Travis Kelce to send Kansas to the AFC Championship game. Bills quarterback Josh Allen looked heart-broken on the sidelines. It was over. The Bills did not have the chance to respond.
Former players and fans on social media were quick to blast the NFL and its overtime rules.
Emmanuel Acho, a retired NFL linebacker, championed the parity of the league but demanded that the overtime rules be fixed.
Time we re-examine the @NFL overtime rules. Josh Allen threw for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns, he scored on 3 of his final 4 possessions and never touched the ball in overtime.
#Bills
The NFL is the greatest league in sports because of the parity. The last team drafts first, the first team drafts last. Not allowing Josh Allen, the best player in today’s game, to touch the ball in overtime is one thing the @NFL must fix. https://t.co/UqP4vE6nc0
Charlotte Observer sports columnist Scott Fowler compared the league's overtime rules with other sports and how they decide when a game is tied.
A sampling of overtime rules:
MLB: Both teams get at-bats in extra innings.
Soccer: Penalty kicks are evenly distributed.
NBA: 5-minute OT periods.
College football: Even # of possessions.
NFL: Yeah, we're good with the coin-toss thing.
Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated simply asked if the overtime rules were due a change.
Is it time for the NFL to change its overtime rules? https://t.co/b4x4iy69LG
YouTube content creator Cloakzy praised Sunday's games for entertainment while taking a shot at the overtime rules.
Both football games were 10/10 today, NFL overtime rules are terrible, end of story.
A fan wrote that they believe both teams should get a chance to possess the ball and commended Allen's efforts in the game.
the fact that Josh Allen played the game of his life and might lose because he didn’t call a coin toss correctly is why NFL overtime rules NEED to be changed. BOTH TEAMS NEED TO HAVE A POSSESSION
The account NFL Memes showed us in a satirical manner what could have happened if the overtime rules were different.
Chiefs vs Bills if the NFL had proper overtime rules… https://t.co/EvWMSK8OgQ
Should the NFL change their overtime rules?
It just doesn't seem fair that the winner of an all-time playoff classic should come down to the toss of a coin. Yes, Buffalo could have defended better in overtime and yes, they could have squib kicked to take time off the clock in the last seconds of regulation.
But shouldn't they get the chance to respond? Did Josh Allen, who threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, and his offense not deserve an opportunity? Speaking after the game, the Bills quarterback didn't blame the rules despite the grueling loss.
"The rules are what they are," Allen said, "and I can't complain about that 'cause if it was the other way around, we'd be celebrating, too."
This probably won't be the last we'll hear about the NFL's overtime rules, and changes may even be made this off-season to make things fairer.