The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game Sunday. After both teams scored a combined 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation, the game went into overtime and the Chiefs earned opening possession due to them winning the coin toss. The Chiefs went on to score a touchdown, and because of league rules, the game ended with the Chiefs on top.
While fans loved watching the two teams battle, they wanted to see the Bills on the field during overtime. According to NFL rules (per CNN): “Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball. The exception: if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession.” This system has been in place since 2011, and since then, there have been160 overtime games (including the postseason). According to the Stathead database, the team that got the ball first won 52% of the time, while the team that kicked off won 42% of the time. The rest were ties in which happen only in the regular season. This has led to some fans saying that the Bills lost the game on a coin toss.
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Drew Brees Weighs In
One fan said: “The college overtime rules are almost just as bad as the pros. It ceases being real football starting at the 25. So silly. Gives advantage to red zone team or field goal kicking team. Not football.”
Former NFL Tight End Greg Olsen
One fan replied: “I do not get why people are defending the current rules? Yes the Bills gave up a field goal in 13 seconds but that is football. A coin toss is not football. It is chance that nobody controls. This game should not have been determined by a coin. Plus you get more great football!”
Atlanta Braves Pitcher Tyler Matzek
Matzek also said: “NFL is like starting with a runner on second but if the run scores in the top half of the inning, the game ends and you have no chance to tie it up in the bottom.”
Former Hockey Player Paul Bissonnette
One fan replied: “A scoring play is more exciting to end a game. If bills got a possession, the game would end on an incomplete pass/turnover on downs…that’s like game 7 of the World Series ending on a walk off walk…it’s just awkward.”
Just Terrible
One person asked: “They gotta do something aboutot. Is football the only sport that allows something like this to happen?”
Fromer NFL WR Brian Hartline
One person replied: “I agree the NFL should change the OT rules again, but the bills should have played better defense in the last 13 seconds in the 4th quarter. The kickoff could have been in bounds to have a few seconds run off. Chiefs lost the same way a few years ago to Brady with the OT rules.”
Simple Request
And this fan replied: “Next year in OT: if a TD is scored on opening drive, take amount of time it took for drive & count down for the other team to try & match. If they do, repeat process until somebody fails & then it become sudden death. But they won’t…until a superstar is affected.”
