Despite K.C. push, NFL won’t change overtime rules

KEY BISCAYNE, FLA. — The NFL isn’t making any changes this off-season to its overtime rules.

A proposal by the Kansas

City Chiefs to guarantee each team at least one possession in overtime was not ratified by owners during their one-day meeting Wednesday at a Florida resort. The Chiefs’ proposal came back up for consideration after being discussed and tabled at the annual league meeting in March in Phoenix.

No vote was taken by the owners Wednesday on the proposal due to a lack of support. It was clear that the measure would not generate the 24 votes among the 32 teams necessary for ratification.

Kansas City made a proposal after losing last season’s AFC championship game on a touchdown by the New England Patriots on the opening possession of overtime. That is the lone scenario by which an overtime game can end after one possession.

Kansas City team officials had said they made their proposal out of a sense of fairness, not merely in reaction to the outcome of the AFC title game.

Supporters of the proposal contended that such an evenhanded approach to overtime has become more important than ever in this age of high-powered NFL offences, given the increased likelihood that the team that wins the coin flip to begin overtime will be able to drive to a first-possession touchdown.

But others are wary of extending games any further and argue that a team has no legitimate gripe if its defence fails to stop an opponent from getting an opening-drive touchdown in overtime.

There was some sentiment for making Kansas City’s proposal apply only to post-season games, when the stakes are higher and the concern about longer games is lessened. But some within the sport are reluctant to have different sets of overtime rules for regular season and post-season games.

So the overtime format remains unchanged for the 2019 season. The team that gets the ball first in overtime can win with a touchdown.

If that team gets a field goal, its opponent gets a possession with a chance to tie the game with a field goal or win it with a touchdown. If both teams get field goals, the next team to score wins.

The NFL shortened overtime from 15 to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games before the 2017 season.