How Many NFL Overtime Games Were There in 2020?
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When it comes to NFL overtime games, 2020 was a pretty eventful year. In total, there were 14 overtime games, which is the second most in a single season since the rule was introduced in 1974.
How many NFL overtime games were there in 2020?
How many NFL overtime games were there in 2020?
The 2020 NFL season saw a total of 12 overtime games, the most in a single season since the 2012 season.
How does this compare to other years?
Including the playoffs, there were a total of seven overtime games in 2020. This is tied for the second-most in a season in NFL history (2011 also had seven). The most ever was eight, set in 2012.
Interestingly, 2020 was the first season since 2013 in which multiple playoff games went to overtime (there were two). In each of the past three postseasons, only one game had gone to OT.
In the regular season, there were five overtime games in 2020, matching the most since 2015.
What is the reason for the increase/decrease in overtime games?
There have been a total of 23 NFL overtime games in 2020. This number is down from 2019, when there were 32 NFL overtime games. The decrease in overtime games can be attributed to a number of factors, including the change in overtime rules and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the NFL adopted a new rule for overtime games. Under the new rule, each team is guaranteed one possession in overtime, regardless of whether the first team to possess the ball scores a touchdown or not. In previous years, if the first team to possess the ball scored a touchdown on their first drive of overtime, the game would end. This change was made in an effort to reduce the number of sudden death OT games.
The decrease in NFL overtime games can also be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused a number of disruptions to the NFL schedule, including postponing and rescheduling many games. As a result, there were fewer opportunities for teams to play extra innings in 2020.
How does this affect the teams?
In the 2020 NFL regular season, there were 11 games that went into overtime, which is down from the 16 overtime games in 2019. Among those 11 games, the home team had a 7-4 record, meaning that the home teams actually fared worse in OT in 2020 than in 2019 when they went 9-7. This may be due to the fact that teams are more conservative in OT now, with the new rules favoring the team that has the ball first.
What is the NFL doing to address this issue?
The NFL is looking at a number of options to address the issue of too many overtime games. One option under consideration is to shorten the overtime period from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Another option is to eliminate the overtime period altogether and just play a regular 60-minute game. Whatever option the NFL decides to go with, it needs to make sure that it doesn’t adversely affect the quality of the game.
How do the fans feel about this issue?
The average fan feels that the NFL has too many overtime games. The main reason for this is because it means that the game they are watching is not decided in regulation time, which is what they are paying to see. Another reason is that it often means that their team has lost the game, as the majority of teams who win in overtime are the away team.
