The 2023 NFL season is now well underway, this time without overtime controversy. Still, Bob Costas has found a way to criticize the league over the prevailing rule pertaining to the extra period.
The popular NBC sportscaster made an appearance on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ this week and branded the stipulation “an idiocy” as he is of the view that the postseason rules will come back to bite the league in the Super Bowl at some point, using the Super Bowl 56 clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams as a game that could have created controversy had it gotten to such a juncture.
“The NFL’s overtime rule, as the ref is tossing the coin and explaining it, remains an idiocy,” he said (H/T Awful Announcing). “You score on the first possession, if you score a touchdown, the game is over. And this is the same rule in the postseason?
“It’s gonna bite them in the Super Bowl eventually. It almost did in the Bengals-Rams Super Bowl. They almost went to overtime with that ridiculous rule in place and it’s so easily correctable.”
Costas would do well to consider the fact that the league switched things up for the playoffs in order to prevent such a situation.
Prior to the change, the overtime rule saw the first team that scored in overtime win the game. It was pretty easy for teams to get into field goal range and get a score, so the NFL altered the rule to allow both teams possession unless the first team to get it scored a touchdown.
Following the controversy stemming from the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round a few seasons ago, it was again changed for postseason play to permit both teams to get the ball whether or not one scored on the opening drive.
