Originally Posted by
Timbo
I still think this 'sudden death' overtime is nutz.
Each team should at least get a set of downs.
I love to watch Payton lose, but he really made a game out of it late, considering they were down 17-3 at the start of the 4th Q. (where were they all game?)
Another classic Payton comeback, but I would have liked to have seen what he could have done in the OT.
Too bad it's decided by the flip of a coin.
(watching Carolina walk all over Pittsburgh right now)
Actually the NFL OT rules were (in my opinion) improved a couple of years ago. Rather than just simple sudden death, it goes like this:
1. If a team's first possession is a TD or safety (i.e. the defense caused the safety) then they win immediately. The thinking is that they have "earned" the victory.
2. If a team did not score a TD on their first possession, the game is not over. The other team gets a chance. They get the ball back the same way they would in regulation: via turnover, punt reception, or kickoff return in the case of a FG.
3. If each team has had a possession and the score is tied (either neither scored, or both scored a FG) then the next score wins.
So in the case with the Broncos, because the Seahawks marched down the field and "earned" a TD (versus a short drive followed by a long FG) they won the game. All the Broncos had to do was limit the Hawks to a FG and the OT period would have gone on.
It is a bit complicated, and not as entertaining as college OT, but I like it a bit better than the old sudden death.