Kansas City Chiefs’ proposed rule changes for overtime won’t be approved by NFL owners
By Jalon Dodson
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport provided an update on the Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime proposal which would give both teams a possession in the extra minutes.
On Wednesday, the National Football League is conducting the NFL Spring Meeting in Key Biscayne, Florida, in which owners will discuss matters ranging from CBA talks to the overtime rules change proposal submitted by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clark Hunt had proposed a change that would allow both teams the opportunity to possess the ball in overtime, giving both teams a fair chance to win the game.
While this sounds like a good ordeal, such a change has its pros and cons. One of the many cons surrounding the proposal revolves around the fact that it encourages teams to build a strong offense, foregoing defense. Football is about both offense and defense, and adding such a rule negates the latter, allowing for teams to ‘out-gun’ the opponent. Perhaps the owners around the league had similar feelings, because according to Ian Rapoport, the proposal will not go through this year.
However, Rapoport also reported that the proposed change will be discussed again next year, and could in fact be implemented. There is a catch, however: it would likely be implemented only for the playoffs. Discussions will likely be held throughout next year, with possible tweaks and changes coming to the proposal to give both sides of the ball the opportunity to find success in overtime.
Regardless of what the case may be, the change will not be coming this year. This is all stemming from an overtime thriller in the AFC Championship Game in which the Kansas City Chiefs were defeated by the New England Patriots, after the latter drove down the field with ease to win the game in overtime. Lack of pass defense, especially on third down, by the Chiefs cost the team the game, and potentially a Super Bowl.