Following Bills-Chiefs finish the NFL Will Likely Consider Overtime Rules Changes
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL’s competition committee is expected to consider potential changes to the league’s overtime rules.
From @GMFB: This type of situation almost always leads to discussion. So yes, expect the overtime rules to come up for the Competition Committee again this offseason. But it's not a slam dunk and there are arguments on both sides. pic.twitter.com/EypK2mo6bJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2022
The news comes in the wake of the somewhat anti-climatic finish to Sunday’s Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs Divisional Round matchup – one of the greatest games in NFL history. With the two teams combining for 25 points in the final 1:54 of regulation, it was Patrick Mahomes ($8,500 on FanDuel) who marched the Chiefs down the field in overtime for the eventual game-winning score – Buffalo never having a chance to respond. The current OT rules state that if the team that possesses the ball first scores a touchdown, the game is over. This was the situation Sunday, again, prompting discussion on the issue.
However, Rapoport did say the decision to ultimately change the rules is far from certain, with arguments stemming from both sides. In any event, it may be a while before a decision is reached – it was years before the league’s previous set of overtime rules, a sudden-death format in which a team could win by a field goal on its first possession, was changed.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently has Mahomes and the Chiefs -7 favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
