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NFL will vote on new Overtime rules in March

By Niko Houllis

The New Orleans Saints marched down the field in overtime of the NFC Championship game and scored the game winning field goal, while Brett Favre and the Vikings offense never left the bench. It would seem that may have been the final straw for some, as the league has announced they will vote on a new Sudden Death Overtime system at the owners meetings where a 2/3 vote is required for new rule changes.

NFL League spokesman Greg Aiello said the Competition Committee will discuss the new concept with teams and players at league meetings March 21-24 in Orlando, FL, when it could come to a vote. 

A college type system where each team is given a shot in enemy territory is not being considered, rather a modified version of the current OT system of Sudden Death.

  • It would still be sudden death if the first team goes down and scores a Touchdown
  • If the first score is just a field goal, the other team is given a chance with one drive to match that or beat it. 
If the second team does manage to go downfield and score a FG on its only drive, then the game continues with the same rules. If the team scores a Touchdown, the game is over. The current overtime system was adopted in 1974.



Opinion: If the new rules are to be adopted, it will make sense that ties will be on the rise, as many games go deep into Overtime before someone scores first. With an extra opportunity, the games should go even farther into the 15 minute OT period. No word yet on if the extra period will be extended or if a tie will still result after one OT period.

How would you change the OT system?

Source: ESPN.com  -by Associated Press

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