Most sports fans hate games that end in ties, because it leaves an unsatisfying taste in our mouths. Some even compared ties to kissing your sister. However, one former NFL employee, Dean Blandino, has said that the NFL should scrap the overtime period altogether, which would result in more ties.
A Case for Scrapping the NFL Overtime Period
Recently he was on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” and he discussed this with Colin Cowherd.
We all want NFL players to be safe, and the league says it cares about players safety. So should it do away with overtime, and subsequently have more ties?
Based on information from the Pro Football Reference Team Game Finder, 538 games overtime games have yielded a winner and a loser. Those would have been ties in the standings had there been no overtime.
There might not have been 538 ties though. As Blandino eluded to, teams may have been more aggressive in play calling later in games especially knowing a tie could hurt you down the line. Eliminating overtime will add even more urgency to the fourth quarter. And the final two minutes will see even more risk taking from offenses.
Other Options
If the NFL were to eliminate overtime, then they would have to tweak some other things about the game as well. In 2014, the NFL saw a success rate on PATs of 99.3 percent. They saw this as a problem, because teams were almost assured of seven points for a touchdown. By moving it back, the rate of making PATs has diminished as was the plan. In 2015, kickers around the NFL made 94.2 percent of PATs. Last season it went lower, but it was still at 93.6 percent.
With that said, in the last five seasons, the league-wide two point conversion rate hasn’t been over 50 percent. In the last four seasons, it’s been underneath this threshold.
| Year | 2pt. % |
| 2012 | 50.0% |
| 2013 | 47.8% |
| 2014 | 47.4% |
| 2015 | 47.9% |
| 2016 | 48.6% |
Let’s play it out like this:
- Eliminate overtime
- Eliminate the point after touchdown kick
- The offense runs or passes from the two-yard-line
- Eliminate the two-point conversion
Number four on this list is the most important. The run or pass will no longer be worth two points, only one. By eliminating the PAT kick, they would make seven points more difficult to come by. It would also make games more exciting throughout the game. There would be more six-point outcomes than seven-point outcomes, and fans wouldn’t have to fret about too many ties.
If the NFL were to implement this rule they could also add another provision. Make the one-point play optional. The teams could choose just to take the six points they earned for the touchdown, and then kick off.
Home Field Advantage
In football, home field matters more than any other sport. The crowd can play much more of a factor, because there are more of them. Teams averaged 11 drives per game in 2016. That’s enough to be able to gain an advantage at home. If the game ends in a tie, then, theoretically, the road team outplayed the home team.
Having 11 drives per game should be enough to outscore the other team, given the home field advantage in the NFL. Herman Edwards once famously said in a press conference, “You play to win the game!” Eliminating overtime would put even more urgency on the win in regulation.
