Bobby Carpenter: The NFL And NCAA Both Have Overtime Issues
While baseball might be considered America’s pastime, football has been America’s present and future for the last 30 years or so. Ratings for the NFL were through the roof this season, grabbing 91 of the top 100 telecasts for 2021. The ratings for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs should be even better since all four games went down to the wire.
The 2021 College Football Playoff didn’t rate as high as it has in the past, but college football is still the second most popular sport in the country. Even when the Championship Game is highly regional with schools from the same conference, it still draws over 20 million viewers.
It’s safe to say that football has become one of the few “must watch” programs in the United States.
The NFL’s four Divisional Round playoff games were all fantastic. With lead changes, upsets and massive comebacks, they had all the ingredients for great entertainment.
While the first three games featured walk off field goals, it was the final game of the weekend that generated the most drama. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills produced a total of 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation. The NFL had its young star quarterbacks on centerstage… just the way they like it.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs won the toss in overtime and elected to take the ball. Mahomes then threw a touchdown pass to Kelce and won the game. Meanwhile, Josh Allen and the Bills never touched the football. For a league that prides itself on the importance of offense, defense, and special teams, an overtime ending like that can still feel hallow.
The same thing occurred in Super Bowl LI, when then Patriots had their famous 28-3 2nd half comeback, which was capped by Tom Brady scoring a touchdown in the first possession of overtime. Matt Ryan and the Falcons never got a chance to touch the ball, and though that's the rule, it just feels wrong.
The NFL should certainly make some changes to its overtime policy, but the NCAA more or less has it right. Both teams get the ball at the 25 yard line with a chance to score. Then in the 2nd OT, both teams must attempt a 2-point conversion. However, the third OT and beyond are just trash since teams must then go back and forth attempting 2-point conversions. It’s the equivalent of ending a basketball game with a foul shooting contest.
How can the most popular sport in the United States have the worst overtime rules?
Regular season NFL games are one thing, but the playoffs are another. Look at the NHL and how they do it. During the regular season, their OT is 3 v 3 and then a shoot-out, if the game is still tied. However, in the playoffs, they play a full 5 v 5 until one team scores.
Is there a simple answer to the problem? Probably not, but putting 10 minutes on the clock and letting both teams play until the conclusion would be a good start -- even if only for the playoffs. There has to be a better way to conclude a game for the most popular sport in the world.
Both the NFL and the NCAA need to find a better solution.