Overtime Issues

As the NFL mulls some potential changes to the playoff overtime format, here are some overtime numbers the league just put out. Rich McKay, chairman for the league's Competition Committee, outlined the change he said the committee will recommend to the owners at their meeting next week.

"We will propose a rule on the modification of the sudden death procedure in overtime," McKay said. "We will say that we would like to have it where there would be an opportunity to possess in the event the first team with the ball does not score a touchdown."

In other words, score a touchdown on the first possession and the game ends. Kick a field goal and the other team gets a shot. If the opponent kicks a field goal to tie, then the game would go into pure sudden death and the next score wins.

McKay said the proposed change was spurred by an acceleration, starting in 1994, of overtime coin-toss winners going on to win the game. Not necessarily on the first possession, mind you. But that number, too, has risen to 34 percent as opposed to 25 percent before 1994.

What had started as a 50-50 proposition from 1974-93 now, due in large part to the evolution of the kicking game, favored the toss winner more than 59 percent of the time.

"Now the numbers have changed pretty dramatically," McKay said. "Now the team that wins the toss wins 59.8% and the team that loses the toss wins 38.5%. The pros of the switch is it tries to rebalance the advantage that's been gained since '94 based on field goal accuracy being greatly improved, field position being improved."

Keep in mind that they're only talking about this change in terms of the playoffs and Super Bowl right now. McKay said the committee won't recommend the change for the regular season because it's reluctant to put more snaps into an already long game.

Here are some overtime stats the league put out. I have to say I was shocked by the percentage of games between 1994 and 2009 where teams had at least one overtime possession each; 65.6 percent. It always seemed to me that the first team with the ball usually won right away.

OVERTIME GAME SUMMARY – 1974-2009

There have been 445 overtime games in regular-season play since the rule was adopted in 1974 (13 in 2009 season). Breakdown follows:

RESULTS FROM 1974-2009:

445 (13) regular-season overtime games
240 (7) times the team which won the toss won the game (53.9%)
188 (6) times the team which lost the toss won the game (42.2%)
17 (0) games ended tied (3.8%). Last time: Nov. 16, 2008, Philadelphia 13 at
Cincinnati 13.

POSSESSIONS FROM 1974-2009:

310 (8) times both teams had at least one possession (69.7%)
135 (5) times the team which won the toss drove for winning score (100 FG, 35 TD) (30.3%)

SCORING FROM 1974-2009:

312 (11) games were decided by a field goal (70.1%)
114 (2) games were decided by a touchdown (25.6%)
2 (0) games were decided by a safety (0.45%)
17 (0) games ended tied (3.8%). Last time: Nov. 16, 2008, Philadelphia 13 at
Cincinnati 13.

Of the 445 overtime games, there were 13 miscellaneous situations in which non-standard possessions took place:
9 (0) times the defense or special teams won without registering an official possession (5 INT, 2 blocked punts, 1 FR, 1 blocked FG) (2.0%)
1 (0) times the special teams forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and drove for winning score (0.23%)
1 (0) times the punting team recovered a muffed punt and drove for winning score with team muffing punt having no official possessions (0.23%)
2 (0) times the team that won the toss elected to kick and the team receiving the ball drove for winning score (0.45%)

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RESULTS FROM 1974-1993:

201 regular-season overtime games
94 times the team which won the toss won the game (46.8%)
94 times the team which lost the toss won the game (46.8%)
13 games ended tied (6.5%)

POSSESSIONS FROM 1974-1993:

150 times both teams had at least one possession (74.6%)
51* times the team which won the toss drove for winning score (36* FG, 15 TD) (25.4%)
* In addition, one team each in 1998 and 2002 lost the toss but had the first possession in overtime and won the game by a field goal on that possession.

SCORING FROM 1974-1993:

135 games were decided by a field goal (67.2%)
52 games were decided by a touchdown (25.9%)
1 game was decided by a safety (0.5%)
13 games ended tied (6.5%)


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RESULTS FROM 1994-2009:

244 regular-season overtime games
146 times the team which won the toss won the game (59.8%)
94 times the team which lost the toss won the game (38.5%)
4 games ended tied (1.6%)

POSSESSIONS FROM 1994-2009:

160 times both teams had at least one possession (65.6%)
84 times the team which won the toss drove for winning score (64 FG, 20 TD) (34.4%)

SCORING FROM 1994-2009:

177 games were decided by a field goal (72.5%)
62 games were decided by a touchdown (25.4%)
1 game was decided by a safety (0.4%)
4 games ended tied (1.6%)

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COIN TOSS:

436 (13) times the team which won the toss elected to receive (98.0%)
9 (0) times the team which won the toss elected to kick off (4 wins) (2.0%)

Note: The number in parentheses is the 2009 Season Total.

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POSTSEASON:

There have been 27 overtime postseason games dating back to 1958. In 22 cases, both teams had at least one possession.

Overtime Games – 2009

*indicates Monday-night game
#indicates Thursday/Saturday/Sunday-night game
+indicates Thanksgiving Day game

# Sept. 10, 2009 – Pittsburgh 13, Tennessee 10, at Pittsburgh; Steelers win toss. Logan returns kickoff 20 yards. Drive begins at Steelers 22. Reed kicks 33-yard field goal at 4:32.

Oct. 4, 2009 – Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 20, at Cleveland; Bengals win toss. Scott returns kickoff 28 yards. Drive begins on Bengals 30. Drive ends on Bengals 42. Huber punts 41 yards out of bounds. Drive begins on Browns 17. Drive ends on Browns 21. Zastudil punts 55 yards. Drive begins at Bengals 24. Drive ends at Bengals 41. Huber punts 43 yards. Drive begins on Browns 16. Drive ends on Browns 27. Zastudil punts 58 yards. Cosby returns punt 10 yards. Drive begins at Bengals 25. Drive ends at Bengals 31. Huber punts 49 yards. Cribbs returns 11 yards. Drive begins on Browns 31. Drive ends on Browns 49. Zastudil punts 51 yards to end zone. Drive begins on Bengals 20. Graham kicks 31-yard field goal at 14:53.

Oct. 11, 2009 – Dallas 26, Kansas City 20, at Kansas City; Chiefs win toss. Charles returns kickoff 19 yards. Drive begins on Chiefs 27. Drive ends on Chiefs 46. Colquitt punts 38 yards. Fair catch. Drive begins on Cowboys 16. Drive ends on Cowboys 17. McBriar punts 41 yards. Wade returns 7 yards. Drive begins on Chiefs 49. Drive ends at midfield. Colquitt punts 29 yards. Fair catch. Drive begins on Cowboys 21. Tony Romo completes 60-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin at 6:27.

Oct. 11, 2009 – Denver 20, New England 17, at Denver; Broncos win toss. Touchback. Drive begins on Broncos 20. Prater kicks 41-yard field goal at 4:45.

Oct. 18, 2009 – Jacksonville 23, St. Louis 20, at Jacksonville; Jaguars win the toss. Touchback. Drive begins on Jaguars 20. Scobee kicks 36-yard field goal at 6:56.

Oct. 18, 2009 – Buffalo 16, N.Y. Jets 13, at N.Y. Jets; Jets win toss. Washington returns kickoff 27 yards. Drive begins on Jets 29. Drive ends on Bills 32 as botched snap on attempted field goal results in interception by Wendling. Drive starts on Bills 35. Drive ends on Bills 38. Moorman punts 45 yards. Leonhard returns -2 yards (holding penalty on Jets). Drive starts at Jets 8. Drive ends at Jets 12. Weatherford punts 43 yards. Fair catch. Drive starts at Bills 45. Lowery intercepts Fitzpatrick’s pass at Bills 47 (no return). Drive starts at Bills 47. Posluszny intercepts Sanchez’s pass at Bills 39 and returns 3 yards. Drive starts at Bills 42. Lindell kicks 47-yard field goal at 12:11.

November 22, 2009 – N.Y. Giants 34, Atlanta Falcons 31, at N.Y. Giants; Giants win toss. Hixon returns kickoff 33 yards. Drive begins on Giants 34. Tynes kicks 36-yard field goal at 3:49.

November 22, 2009 – Kansas City Chiefs 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24, at Kansas City; Steelers win toss. Touchback. Drive begins on Steelers 20. Drive ends on Kansas City 38. Sepulveda punts 38 yards to end zone. Touchback. Drive begins on Chiefs 20. Succop kicks 22-yard field goal at 7:32.

# November 29, 2009 – Baltimore Ravens 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17, at Baltimore; Steelers win toss. Logan returns 17 yards. Drive begins on Steelers 23. Drive ends on Steelers 37. Sepulveda punts 46 yards. Out of bounds. Drive begins on Ravens 17. Drive ends on Ravens 17. Koch punts 38 yards. Fair catch. Drive begins on Steelers 45. Kruger intercepts Dixon’s pass at Ravens 46 and returns 28 yards. Drive begins on Steelers 28. Cundiff kicks 29-yard field goal at 7:35.

December 6, 2009 – New Orleans Saints 33, Washington Redskins 30, at Washington; Redskins win toss. Thomas returns kickoff 23 yards. Drive begins on Redskins 20. McAlister recovers fumble by Sellers (no return). Drive begins on Redskins 37. Hartley kicks 18-yard field goal at 6:20.

December 20, 2009 – Tennessee Titans 27, Miami Dolphins 24, at Tennessee; Dolphins win toss. Ginn returns kickoff 23 yards. Drive begins on Dolphins 23. M. Griffin intercepts Henne’s pass at Dolphins 45 and returns 3 yards. Dolphins’ Camarillo penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness. Drive begins on Dolphins 27. Bironas kicks 46-yard field goal at 3:36.

December 27, 2009 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, New Orleans Saints 17, at New Orleans; Buccaneers win toss. Spurlock returns kick 19 yards. Drive begins at Buccaneers 23. Barth kicks 47-yard field goal at 6:54.

* December 28, 2009 –, Chicago Bears 36, Minnesota Vikings 30, at Chicago; Bears win toss. E. Bennett returns kick 22 yards. Drive begins at Bears 32. Drive ends on Vikings 35 as Gould missed 45-yard field goal attempt. Drive begins on Vikings 35. Drive ends at Vikings 21. Kluwe punts 43 yards to Bears 36. No return. Drive begins on Bears 36. Drive ends on Bears 39. Maynard punts 47 yards to Vikings 14. Reynaud returns 3 yards. Drive begins on Vikings 17. Peterson fumbles, Bears recover. Drive begins on Vikings 39. Cutler passes deep right to D. Aromashodu for 39 yards and touchdown at 5:39.

POSTSEASON

Jan. 10, 2009 – Arizona Cardinals 51, Green Bay Packers 45, at Arizona in Wild Card Playoffs; Packers win toss. Touchback. Rodgers is sacked and fumbles, recovered by Dansby for 17-yard touchdown at 1:18.

Jan. 24, 2009 – New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 28, at New Orleans in NFC Championship; Saints win toss. Thomas returns kick 40 yards. Drive begins at Saints 39. Hartley kicks 40-yard field goal at 4:45.

EP