The Spire

Jake McGuire ’27

Gridiron Hero

For the third time in four years, the NFL is changing the rules of overtime. For years, controversy has ensued at some point in the season over the league’s inability to hold fair playoffs. The widely criticized rules only offer one team a guaranteed possession. For the team that loses the coin toss, their chances of winning are particularly slim in a league that is dominated by the offensive side of the ball.

Starting in the 2024 season, the NFL is completely revamping the way overtime will be played. While there was some debate on whether to utilize college football’s far superior overtime system, the NFL decided, based on the recent trends of the league, only one option makes sense.

Flag Football!

Flag football has already become mainstream thanks to its use in the Pro Bowl and features in Super Bowl commercials. With the implementation of flag football in the Pro Bowl, viewership increased dramatically, with the amount of viewers watching the Pro Bowl rising from 7 viewers to 15 viewers in a single year. 

The new rules are identical to the rules used in the Pro Bowl the past few years. One additional 15-minute quarter will be added, with a 7-v-7 game being played on half the field. Teams will be given a normal halftime length break between the fourth quarter and overtime to change over from pads to flags. Scoring rules are the same, but first downs will be 25 yards instead of 10, in cohesion with the rules used in the Pro Bowl. 

While there has been some mixed reactions toward the league changing overtime rules once again, many say it cannot be worse than the current overtime situation. 

“It can’t be any worse than the current rules,” said Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who lost in a playoff game to the Kansas City Chiefs without a chance to possess the ball. This game led many to conclude that the NFL overtime needed to be fixed. 

“I don’t understand why they don’t just use the college football overtime,” said former Michigan coach John Harbaugh. “It clearly works.” Michigan beat Alabama in overtime this year in the Rose Bowl en route to the National Championship. The NCAA has not changed the overtime rules of college football once since they were first implemented at the end of the 1995 season. 

”As long as they are still paying me, I’ll play,” said Le’veon Bell, a now retired running back who was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, while he supports the new overtime, he still loves ties. “It is the only way to ruin both fans’ Sundays,” he said. 

“If I am playing in overtime, then the game is already lost,” said former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who played in the first overtime Super Bowl in 2018. 

In a conversation with The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs simply put it this way: “This s*** stupid”. 

In a rare agreement, legendary Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and legendary former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johsnon both said “This ain’t football.” 

Defensive ends Nick Bosa, Myles Garret, and Maxx Crosby all were furious. “Now I can’t even hit people when it matters most”, they all said, visibly flustered at the news. 

While it may certainly be an interesting choice, some players just simply don’t support it. However, any significant rule change is sure to stir controversy. The NFL is hoping that this rule change is here to stay. At its core, the NFL’s mission is to continue to advance the game of football for generations to come, and they believe that incorporating flag football into the game is the best way to do it.