How Does Overtime Work In Nfl Postseason?
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How does overtime work in the NFL postseason? If a game is tied at the end of regulation, each team gets a possession. If the score is still tied, the game goes into sudden death.
How does overtime work in the NFL playoffs?
If a game is tied after four quarters, overtime will be played. In overtime, both teams will have the opportunity to possess the ball. The team that scores first (or wins the coin toss and elects to play defense) wins the game.
If neither team scores in overtime, the game ends in a tie.
How does the NFL decide which team gets the ball first in overtime?
If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, the team that lost the coin toss gets the ball first. This team can either score a touchdown or a field goal on its first drive. If it scores a touchdown, it wins the game. If it only scores a field goal, then the other team gets a chance to score. If that team also only scores a field goal, then it’s sudden death—meaning whoever scores next (whether it’s a touchdown or field goal), wins the game.
Why do some people think that the NFL’s overtime rules are unfair?
The main complaint about the NFL’s overtime rules is that they are not “fair” because they give the team that wins the coin toss an advantage. The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either receive the ball or defer to the second half, but they will almost always choose to receive. If the team receiving the ball scores a touchdown on their first drive, the game is over. The other team never even gets a chance to score. This happened in the NFC Championship game in 2015, when Green Bay won the coin toss and then scored a touchdown on their first drive to beat Seattle.
How could the NFL change its overtime rules to make them more fair?
One way the NFL could make its overtime rules more fair would be to eliminate the coin toss. Currently, the team that wins the coin toss has the option of receiving the ball or deferring to the other team. The team that wins the coin toss then has a significant advantage, as they can often score a touchdown on their first drive and end the game before the other team even gets a chance to touch the ball. If both teams had to start on offense, it would be much more fair.
Another way the NFL could make its overtime rules more fair would be to change how possession is determined. currently, if both teams score touchdowns on their first drives, or if neither team scores, possession is determined by a coin toss. However, if one team scores a field goal and the other team scores a touchdown, then the team that scored the touchdown automatically gets possession (because they would have won in regulation). This doesn’t seem fair, as it gives an advantage to teams that happen to score touchdowns instead of field goals. Instead, possession should be determined by a coin toss regardless of how each team scores.
The NFL could also make its overtime rules more fair by giving each team an equal number of possessions. Currently, if both teams score touchdowns on their first drives, then each team gets another chance with the ball. However, if one team scores a field goal and the other team scores a touchdown, then only the team that scored the touchdown gets another chance (because they would have won in regulation). This seems unfair, as it gives an advantage to teams that happen to score touchdowns instead of field goals. Instead, each team should get an equal number of possessions regardless of how they score.
The NFL could also make its overtime rules more fair by giving each team an equal amount of time with the ball. Currently, each team gets two minutes with the ball in overtime (unless they score a touchdown on their first drive), but there is no guarantee that each team will get an equal amount of time with the ball overall. If one team happens to get possession first and then score quickly, they may only end up havingthe ball for a minute or so total while their opponents get two full minutes withthe ball. This doesn’t seem fair, so each teams should be guaranteed at least two full minutes withthe ball regardless of how quickly they score.
These are just a few ways that NFL could change its overtime rules to make them more fair. What do you think?
