Did you know overtime rules for the playoffs are different from the sudden death we are used to? - NFL Feature
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are here and the excitement begins as qualified teams take their first step from Saturday, January 7, 2012, on the road to the Super Bowl XLVI.
The exciting game we all know and love remains the same, but in overtime, the rules change slightly from the sudden death scenario we see in the regular season.
So before you embarrass yourself in front of your friends celebrating an overtime field goal thinking that your team has won the game and progressed one step further to Indianapolis, it is better to brush up on the rules.
Don’t want to look far to learn what we are talking about, don’t worry we will give u a complete lowdown on the rules that govern the overtime period during the 2012 playoffs round.
First of all we will look into the background of the new rule.
In 2010, the franchise owners agreed to change how teams can win a game in overtime to give an equal chance to both sides to have a go at victory and to trim the odds favouring the side that wins the coin toss and gains first possession of the ball.
Now the rules will allow both sides to have an equal chance to get possession of the ball and not give victory straight up to the first team to score a field goal as it occurs in the regular season.
If a playoff game moves into overtime a coin toss will take place to determine which team gets first possession of the ball.
If the offensive team scores a touchdown in their initial possession they will automatically be declared the winners. The defence can also win the game if they succeed in scoring a safety by tackling the offensive player in possession of the ball in his
own end-zone.
However, if the offensive end decides to kick the ball for a field goal it will gain three points but instead of winning the game the opposing team will gain possession.
The opposing side will now be on offence and has the chance to equalise the score with their own field goal or win outright by scoring a touchdown.
If they choose to try their luck at a field goal, the team which scores the first points as in the traditional sudden death scenario will be declared the winners.
The rules will create a more exciting atmosphere in overtime as both teams now have good chances of winning the game, the result being that they will not be dependent on lady luck and who she chooses to win the first possession by coin toss.
As in the regular overtime situation, the time allotted will be 15-minutes for each period and teams will have the opportunity to call three timeouts.
The rules were introduced in last year’s postseason but fans did not receive an opportunity to witness the tactics the teams would have used since no game unfortunately went to overtime.
This time, though we may get to witness the scenario and the tension in the stands, the situation on the field will be something to behold now that both teams have the opportunity to gain possession.
The playoffs will start from Saturday when American Football Conference (AFC) teams Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans take on each other in the first game followed by the National Football Conference (NFC) newcomers, Detroit Lions, taking on the New
Orleans Saints.
So we cross our fingers that some of the upcoming games will result in thrilling overtime action.
The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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