Momentum exists for NFL overtime rule change, but 24 votes 'not easy to get'

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Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, said Friday that there is a lot of enthusiasm for changing overtime rules, but it is not clear whether enough owners will agree on a specific proposal when they meet next week.

Two proposals are being considered. The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles want to make it mandatory for each team to have an overtime possession. If the team that has the first possession scores a touchdown and converts a successful 2-point attempt, then mandatory possession would be required.

McKay said that the clubs covered the nature of the discussion well and that the competition committee did not endorse either proposal. McKay warned reporters about the difficulty of getting owners to change a rule in a conference call.

McKay said that his history shows that 24 votes is not easy to get.

After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, there was a lot of discussion about the rule that allows a team to win on the first possession of overtime if it scores a touchdown. The coin toss was won by the Chiefs. Josh Allen and the Bills offense were unable to affect the outcome of the game because they scored a touchdown on their first drive.

According to league data, teams winning the coin toss have won 50% of the time since the requirement for an opening-possession touchdown was instituted. Since the league shortened overtime from a maximum of 15 minutes to 10 minutes, the number has gone up a bit, but there has been a big jump in the playoffs.

Seven of 12 overtime games have been won on the opening possession, and 10 of those 12 were won by the team that won the coin toss.

McKay said that some teams prefer to make the change for playoff games only.

If there was an appetite for change, you want to be consistent, according to the NFL executive vice president of football operations. You don't want to have one set of rules for the regular season and another for the playoffs, but that's just me.

Two of the three rule proposals will be considered by owners next week. To increase the likelihood of onside kick recoveries, the setup zone on kick returns will be made permanent.

McKay said that it was the number of proposals he had seen in a while. The game is in a good place.

In other news.

The high incidence of injuries on punts has been studied by the NFL for several months and should be addressed immediately.

McKay said it was possible that the league would have new recommendations for training in 2022. He said they will study the USFL's modified punt to see if it affects injury rates. The USFL season starts next month.

Wayne Mackie, an official in the training department of the National Football League, died suddenly in Florida as he prepared for next week's meetings. He died at the age of 62.