On January 23, 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills faced off in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. The game ended in an overtime thriller with a final score of 42-36, in favor of the Chiefs. While the game is considered the “Game of the Year,” there was controversy about the overtime rules. The current rules for overtime entail a coin flip, where the winner starts with the football. If the team that starts with the football scores a touchdown, they would win. Both the Chiefs and Bills offenses dominated the entire game, leading one to believe that the winner of the coin toss would in fact win the game. Giants running back Saquon Barkley tweeted, “So whoever win the coin toss win the game?” Other athletes such as Amon-Ra St. Brown agreed with Barkley. On the other hand, star wide receiver Keenan Allen said, “FYI…these OT games are not decided by a coin toss! Defense wins championships…don’t ever forget it!” In other games during the regular season, overtime was not decided by a coin toss. For example, the Lions tied vs the Steelers due to both of their flawless defenses in overtime. 

But if the NFL changed their overtime rules, what would they be replaced with? One possibility is emulating the rules in college football overtime. These rules consist of both teams getting at least one offensive drive. However, the college overtime rules would make it harder for defenses because offenses would start closer to the end zone. One possible solution to this problem is to make offenses start on their own 25, rather than the opponents 25 yard line. This is probably the best way to fix overtime in the NFL. In conclusion, the NFL should implement the college overtime rules with a few adjustments to make overtime more thrilling than ever.