Does the NFL still need overtime in the regular season, if it has the two-point conversion?

Score a TD late, the strategy is to kick for one to send it to OT, instead of going for two to win.
If OT were eliminated, now that coach has to decide: go home with a tie, or try to win on the last play.

2010-11-05T14:39:07Z

Follow up: What's so bad about a tie game?

2010-11-05T14:40:57Z

I'm talking about changing the rules to get rid of overtime.

If you're down 3, you can try a field goal to tie, or a hail mary if a tie doesn't do you any good.

I think if there were a lot more tie games, it would make the end-of-season tie breakers a lot easier to figure out, as there wouldn't be the logjam at 9-7 to get the last one or two playoff spots.

BlueThunder2010-11-05T21:21:16Z

Favorite Answer

The NFL played for years without OT for regular season games or a 2 point conversion option. When the AFL came along they implemented the 2 point conversion option from the start. After the merger, and a long debate, the NFL decided to use the 2 point conversion as an option. The sudden death overtime rule for regular season games was adopted in 1974.

After the 2 point conversion was implemented, and before the sudden death OT rule, coaches would rarely chose to go for 2 because the risk was higher than the 1 point kick. Some of the more daring coaches would go for 2 to win a game rather than settle for a tie. Most often it depended on the scoring teams standings and the impact a tie instead of a win would have on their playoff chances.

Since the OT rule was adopted, teams almost never go for 2 to win. They generally decide to kick the 1 pointer and take their chances in OT.

So if the OT rule was done away with coaches' strategies would obviously change. We'd see more 2 point tries at the end of games like the league experienced before. I'm thinking most coaches would go for ties with the kick early in the season, and it would depend on the standings later on.

But I don't think the league will ever do away with OT for regular season games. It's too embedded in the game now and owners, players, and fans would object.

We may see more OT rule changes for the regular season, like adopting the playoff rule where both teams get at least 1 possession during OT. But NFL OT in some form is here to stay.

Anonymous2010-11-05T14:32:00Z

What if the team was down by three?
A coach IS going for one to get the win. Tie it in regulation and win it in overtime. D
Doesn't matter. The NFL's purpose for overtime was to eliminate the ties when a coach went for one at the end of the game.
________
Fans don't like ties. Neither do the players, owners, or TV networks.

?2010-11-05T14:33:37Z

If there was no overtime, teams would go for the tie because a sure 1-point kick is better than a risky chance at a loss.

Overtime is a good thing.

However, I wish the NFL would play overtime the way that colleges handle it.

Anonymous2016-12-04T10:27:45Z

there's a string of tiebreakers concerning internet factors and internet touchdowns that gets into the blend. If each little thing have been precisely a similar then the superb tiebreaker is an straight forward coin toss on the League workplace the day after the sport.

JohnnyGiant2010-11-05T14:32:45Z

yes because a two point conversion is much riskier than an extra point, so most coaches would rather play it safe and go to OT and score a field goal

Show more answers (2)