Four quarters weren’t enough for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, as the teams needed overtime to settle their differences in the AFC Championship Game.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ explosive offense never touched the ball in the extra frame, though, as Tom Brady and the Patriots won the coin toss and marched right down the field for a game-winning touchdown.
Believe it or not, some folks aren’t happy about this. Not just because the Patriots won (again) and are going to the Super Bowl (again). But also because the Chiefs didn’t have an opportunity to possess the football by virtue of the NFL’s overtime rules, which give the other team a chance to answer only if the receiving team doesn’t score a touchdown on its opening possession.
Colin Cowherd doesn’t understand the uproar. He believes the backlash is so strong only because the Patriots won the game by scoring a touchdown, and that there would be far fewer complaints about the NFL’s overtime rules if Kansas City won the coin toss, received the football and scored a TD without New England ever having possession.
"A lot of fans didn't like New England winning in overtime — suddenly the overtime rules are terrible…
It'd be interesting if Tom Brady lost in overtime and never got the ball back, if everybody would be so outraged by it." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/oYP3aApT4N
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 21, 2019
There obviously are no shortage of Patriots haters out there, for a variety of reasons, and each Super Bowl appearance only stands to frustrate those critics. It really should come as no surprise then that some people were up in arms Sunday after New England’s victory in Kansas City.
After all, several things broke the Patriots’ way before Rex Burkhead’s game-winning touchdown in overtime, and Brady and Co. simply took advantage — as they typically do.
