In 2017, Tom Brady drove down the field in the first ever Super Bowl overtime, handed the ball off to James White, and walked off the field a winner.
Meanwhile, Matt Ryan watched glumly from the sideline as the Atlanta Falcons’ halftime collapse came full circle.
Fast-forward two years, and unsurprisingly the NFL found itself in the same situation.
After a thrilling four quarters of football, the AFC Championship went to OT, an NFL fan’s dream. Mahomes vs. Brady. The hotshot vs. the veteran. The underdog vs. the dynasty.
And once again, it was Brady’s team finding the end zone first, Brady’s team on top, Brady with the glory.
Brandon Hill
The fact that Ryan in 2017 and Mahomes on Sunday didn’t even get a chance at touching the football is preposterous. The two were the top passers in the league their prospective years, with Mahomes being just the third player in history to throw 50 touchdowns in a game.
So while Brady will likely go down as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, there needs to be a serious discussion on how other — possibly even more talented — players can get their own shot at glory.
As the current NFL rules stand now, in overtime, the winner of the coin toss who opts to receive the ball has a chance to score a touchdown on their opening drive to end the game.
While the rules accurately serve to preserve player health in the regular season, it has the crucial flaw of neglecting the opposing team’s offense.
If the team with first possession either settles for a field goal or is unable to score, the second team can either match their score — in which case overtime continues — or beat their score to win.
The rules offer a more complete football experience … in theory. The offense has a longer trip to the end zone, and overtime is timed during the regular season with the possibility of a tie. What’s baffling, however, is how drastically different overtime looks in college.
In the NCAA, a touchdown on the opening drive extends the game. It doesn’t end it.
The second team is given the chance to match the touchdown and possibly score a two-point conversion to win it. This gives way to dramatic-storybook endings, like the whopping seven overtime periods we saw back in November between LSU and Texas A&M or the unforgettable Fiesta Bowl finish in 2007.
NCAA offenses start their drive on the opponent’s 25-yardline, displaying more of the team’s ability to perform in crunch time rather than sustain long drives. There’s no play clock, just good ol’ fashioned offense vs. defense on a shortened field.
The NFL, after a Sunday where both the NFC and AFC Championship ended in overtime, should seriously consider some kind of rule change. Put the players on the 50-yard line. Abolish the game clock, at least in the post season.
The teams in these circumstances earned their spot in the postseason, and that long and brutal journey should be respected.
Because outcomes in high-stakes games — no matter the sport — shouldn’t come down to the flip of a coin.
Brandon Hill can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill