Last January, NFL followers had been handled to not simply among the finest soccer video games of the 2021-2022 NFL season, however one of many greatest sports activities occasions of your complete 12 months. In the AFC Divisional Round, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills thrilled followers in a back-and-forth affair. Josh Allen and the Bills scored a go-ahead landing with simply 13 seconds remaining in regulation, however that was nonetheless sufficient time for Patrick Mahomes to get Kansas City in vary for a subject objective to power extra time.
Despite the thrilling end to regulation, the extra time ending left many followers unsettled.
Kansas City gained the coin toss and went proper down the sphere in opposition to an exhausted Bills protection, scoring a landing to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Under the extra time guidelines in place, all Allen and the Bills offense may do was watch.
In the weeks that adopted, as followers clamored for a unique extra time format, the NFL listened. Eventually, the league’s house owners permitted a revised extra time format, guaranteeing that every workforce would have a possession in extra time.
The format was permitted by a 29-3 vote.
Starting with the 2022-2023 season, all playoff video games that advance to extra time will comply with these revised guidelines:
- If a sport is tied on the finish of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to find out which workforce will possess the ball first in extra time. The visiting workforce captain will name the toss.
- Both groups may have a possibility to own the soccer. This is the massive change. Previously, as we noticed within the 2022 AFC Divisional Round sport between Kansas City and Buffalo, if the workforce that began with the soccer scored a landing, the sport was over. Under the brand new guidelines, in that situation Buffalo would get an opportunity to match with a landing of their very own, and in the event that they did, the sport would proceed. Once each groups have a possession, the sport then turns into sudden demise. In addition, if the workforce that begins with possession scores and kicks the additional level to take a seven-point lead, the second workforce can win with a landing and a two-point conversion.
- If the rating continues to be tied on the finish of an extra time interval — or if the second workforce’s preliminary possession continues to be in progress — the groups will play one other extra time interval. Play will proceed no matter what number of extra time intervals are wanted for a winner to be decided.
- There shall be a two-minute intermission between every extra time interval. There is not going to be a halftime intermission after the second interval.
- If the sport stays tied after two extra time intervals, there shall be a second half. The captain who misplaced the primary extra time coin toss will both select to own the ball or choose which objective his workforce will defend, until the workforce that gained the coin toss deferred that selection.
- Each workforce will get three timeouts throughout a half.
- The identical timing guidelines that apply on the finish of the second and fourth regulation intervals additionally apply on the finish of a second or fourth extra time interval.
- If there may be nonetheless no winner on the finish of a fourth extra time interval, there shall be a 3rd coin toss, and play will proceed till a winner is said.
- There are not any immediate replay coach’s challenges; all critiques shall be initiated by the replay official.
These tweaks may result in some fascinating strategic selections for coaches. For instance, groups that win the primary coin toss could elect to defer. As we see with faculty soccer extra time guidelines, since you might be assured a possession it is smart to start out on protection, so you realize precisely what that you must rating on offense to win, or to increase the sport.
In addition, the two-point conversion alternative is one other strategic level to observe. Will groups that rating first go for 2 to power the second workforce’s hand? That appears unlikely, as a result of within the occasion of a failed two-point strive, the second workforce would simply want a landing and an additional level to win.
Speaking of that second workforce, will groups that rating second elect to strive a two-point conversion for the win, or will they settle for an additional level and take their probabilities in sudden demise?
You can solely think about that if — or when — we see an extra time sport beneath this new format, these situations shall be mentioned at size.