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The NFL Should Not Touch the Overtime Rules | BetOnline.ag

In what was arguably the greatest second half of NFL football that we have ever seen, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 42-36 to advance to the AFC Championship game. They will host the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday afternoon for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl.

After an incredible back-and-forth in the last two minutes that saw 25 points scored and four lead changes, the game went to overtime. The Chiefs then won the coin toss, drove down the field, and won the football game.

And that’s the way it should be.

The narrative this morning is a sob story about how Josh Allen and the Bills should have had a chance to get the ball and match what Kansas City did. Every journalist from ESPN to the Dedham Times is calling for sweeping changes to the NFL’s overtime rules. Even our friends at BetOnline.ag have odds on whether the league will change the rules before next season:

NFL to Change Overtime Format for Week 1 2022:

No Change -300

Playoff Format Only +175

Both Reg Season and Playoff Formats +450

The rules should stay the same.

Analytically speaking – even if you win the coin toss, you still only have a very slight upper hand on winning the game. According to NFL Research, the team that wins the coin toss has won the game 55% of the time since the rules were changed in 2010.

(Image: @NFLResearch)

The game is NOT decided by a coin toss, it’s decided by the players on the field. In an NFL game, specifically the playoffs, you should be able to trust your defense to get you ONE stop. After that, the odds are in your favor! Your offense only needs a field goal to win the game. That sounds pretty fair to me.

Maybe instead of worrying about overtime, the Bills should have squib-kicked the ball with 13 seconds left in regulation to limit the amount of time the best quarterback in the NFL has with the football.

Would I have loved to have seen Josh Allen get the ball for a rebuttal? Sure – it would have been entertaining, but the point of overtime is to get the game over with – and that’s the way it should stay.

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Mike Kadlick

Mike is a Patriots reporter with experience in radio, podcasting, and writing. Follow him on Twitter @mikekadlick.