NFL Makes Big Change to Overtime Rules for 2022 Season

The NFL is making a change to its overtime rule for the 2022 season. According to CBS Sports, the league approved a rule where each team in a postseason game will get at least one possession in overtime. If the score is tied after each team’s first possession, the game will go into sudden death. For the regular season, overtime rules remain the same and will not change for now. 

The new rule was proposed by the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. Previously when it comes to overtime rules in the playoffs, the first touchdown scored in overtime could end the game, with both sides only getting a chance to possess the ball if the first team in possession failed to score a touchdown. The new overtime rules could be put in place during the regular season in 2023. 

One of the reasons there are new overtime rules in the NFL postseason is what happened with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs game in January. The Chiefs got the ball in overtime and scored a TD in the drive to win the game, the Bills never got the chance to have possession due to the rules. 

“The rules are what they are, and I can’t complain about that ’cause if it was the other way around, we’d be celebrating too,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said while addressing the media after the game, per Bills Wire. “So, it is what it is at this point. We didn’t make enough plays tonight.” The game was a classic as the Bills and Chiefs scored a combined 17 points in the final minute of the game. Allen threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns while Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 378 and three touchdowns. 

“It was tough to be in that moment,” Allen stated. “Again, I have a lot of respect for Pat, he throws the winning touchdown, and he comes straight over and finds me. To be in that situation and to do that, that was pretty cool of him to do that. Obviously, it sucks the way it happened. We wanted to win that game. We had our opportunities. (I was) taking it all in and holding on to the feeling and making sure that we don’t feel like this again, like I said back-to-back years in the same spot. It’s tough to take in, but it’s part of the game.”