The days of sudden death are behind us, at least during the most important games.
The NFL owners agreed to tweak the overtime rules for postseason play, guaranteeing that both teams will possess the ball at least once before the game concludes. The regular season rules will stay the same, with sudden death being enforced if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown.
The tipping point for the change came after the conclusion of the AFC Divisional Playoff Game between the Bills and Chiefs, that saw Kansas City score in overtime without Buffalo getting the ball, concluding a wild 42-36 game.
The vote passed by the owners 29-3 in favor. Two teams — the Eagles and Colts — proposed that the OT change be made for regular season games as well, but did not get much support.
For the new postseason rules, if both teams score and the game remains tied, it will go to “sudden death”.
According to ESPN, since the current overtime format was implemented in 2010, seven of the 12 coin toss winners also won the game on the opening drive.
