NFL owners approve new playoff rule allowing both teams a possession in overtime games
What if Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had gotten another chance against the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs?
That thrilling game featured the Chiefs tying the score with 13 seconds remaining in regulation and sending the contest to overtime. After winning the coin toss, the Chiefs won on the first possession of overtime when quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for an 8-yard score.
Game over — because the league’s rules at that time ensured Allen wouldn’t get another possession in the Chiefs’ 42-36 win.
Now, the NFL has gone the opposite direction. The league’s owners voted to approve a proposal to amend Rule 16, which covers postseason overtime rules, and allow both teams a possession in the overtime period, the NFL announced Tuesday.
In accordance with the rule change, a playoff overtime game will go to a sudden-death format if it remains tied after both possess the ball, with the first team to score winning the game. The rule change will not affect the regular season.
The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles submitted the recent proposal, which gained momentum after the Chiefs-Bills overtime thriller.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged the potential change during the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1.
“Listen, that’s about what it is in the league right now,” Reid said then. “I’ve gone the opposite way when we played the Patriots and lost in overtime. You feel like you need a shot at it, but the defensive guys say we should stop them so that’s the part of it. When you look at it, it’s 50/50 across the board really whether you win or lose.”
The Chiefs submitted a proposal to change the overtime rule in 2019 after a playoff loss to the Patriots, but the proposal didn’t go forward at that time because of a lack of support. For a proposal to pass, 24 of the league’s 32 teams must vote in favor.
Had the new rule been in place last season, Allen and the Bills would have received a chance to either tie the game or perhaps even secure a win with a successful two-point conversion.
“I’m glad we didn’t change them (the rules) as of last night,” Reid said on Jan. 24, the day after his team’s win against the Bills. “I had a chance to talk to (Bills coach) Sean (McDermott) afterwards, and that’s I’m sure something they’re going to look at again, too, and I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 12:36 PM.
