The current NFL overtime rules stipulate that the team that possesses the ball first wins by scoring a touchdown, so in a game between two powerful offenses, New England's call of "heads" may have been the most critical play of the game.
Patrick Mahomes looked on helplessly from the sidelines as Tom Brady and the Patriots marched down the field to win the AFC Championship, and many fans weren't happy about it:
So, what's the solution? Since the NFL will never go back to the old format - that's even worse - there are really only three choices:
Solution 1: Each team gets the ball once. If the game is still tied after that, sudden death.
This is what most fans/media were clamoring for. If the Chiefs/Mahomes had a shot to tie, and did, and the Patriots marched down the field and scored again, I think most folks could live with that result. Yes, the coin-flip winner would still have an advantage, but that's something that's unavoidable. Someone has to possess the ball first.
Solution 2: College overtime rules.
Under the college format, each team gets the ball on the 25-yard line. If the game is still tied after two overtimes, then each team is forced to go for two-point conversions in following overtimes. This has led to some crazy results, like LSU/Texas A&M this year, and video games numbers, but is still probably superior to the current NFL format.
Solution 3: A full fifteen-minute overtime period.
We see other sports play a timed extra period - NBA and MLS (playoffs) to name a few - so the NFL could certainly pull this off. This is what Sporting News writer Mike Decourcy suggested today.
Would you change the NFL overtime format for the playoffs? If so, which format would you choose? Leave your take on our Fox Sports 97.5 Facebook page.