The best NFL game of the 2021 season was unquestionably the thrilling shootout between the Chiefs and the Bills in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen – the two best quarterbacks in the league – traded body blows for three quarters, followed by a flurry of haymakers and scoring in the fourth. The game eventually went into overtime. Kansas City won the cointoss, Mahomes led yed another touchdown drive and the Chiefs advanced to the conference championship. Meanwhile, Allen and the Bills didn’t even get a chance to touch the ball.
Buffalo is only the latest victim of the league’s fundamentally unfair and capricious OT rules. Truth is, teams have been getting screwed by them for years. While there’s something to be said for stopping your opponent, it’s not right that so much rides on the pure luck of a cointoss.
Good news: the competition committee may finally consider a change this offseason. According to a report by the Washington Post, the Colts have proposed a change to the overtime rules which would allow each team to have at least one possession.
The Chiefs made a similar proposal a few years ago, only to be shot down.
