NFL overtime rules could be set for an overhaul at owners’ meetings

The NFL is in a superb place as homeowners head into their annual conferences this week.

Video games are transferring at a faster tempo. Individuals are usually proud of on the spot replay. Onside kick restoration numbers are again up in an appropriate vary. And heading into the ultimate week of final season, 18 groups had been nonetheless alive within the playoff race, tied for the second-most ever.

An issue is additional time guidelines, and people would be the main focus as homeowners, coaches and executives convene to tinker with the sport they love.

A pivotal second got here within the AFC playoffs, when Kansas Metropolis beat Buffalo 42-36, in an epic sport that got here to an abrupt finish within the further interval when the Chiefs scored a landing on their opening possession. The soccer world bristled that the Payments by no means bought an opportunity to the touch the ball.

The percentages are good of these conditions taking place with elevated frequency, seeing as six of the ultimate seven video games within the postseason had been determined by three factors or fewer.

Within the 12 additional time playoff video games for the reason that present rule took impact in 2010, the group that received the coin toss in the beginning of the additional interval received all however two of these video games — seven on the opening drive.

“I do assume the statistics completely warrant whether or not our additional time guidelines must be additional modified,” stated Atlanta Falcons President Wealthy McKay, chairman of the competitors committee, discussing the conferences on a latest convention name with reporters.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts have made additional time proposals this 12 months that will permit for either side to get a possession, no matter whether or not a landing is scored on the opening drive.

“I do assume there’s quite a lot of momentum to have a change,” McKay stated. “I feel the dialogue goes to be round these two proposals.”

The Tennessee Titans have floated a extra nuanced thought. Underneath their proposal, a group might win by scoring a landing on the opening possession — however solely by efficiently changing a two-point conversion to cap that landing.

For a guidelines change to take impact, at the very least 24 of the 32 groups should vote in favor of it.

“That’s normally a reasonably large hill to climb the primary time,” McKay stated. “However let’s see what occurs.”