NEW YORK (Reuters) – National Football League (NFL) clubs adopted new post-season overtime rules on Tuesday, giving each team a chance to possess the ball, the league said.
Overtime rules again came under fire in January after the Buffalo Bills’ high-powered offense never got a chance to touch the ball in the extra period of their crushing playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Under the previous rules, possession of the football was determined through a coin toss ahead of overtime. A team could win the game outright on the first possession if they scored a touchdown.
The amendment, approved at the NFL’s annual meeting, was presented by the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The announcement came a day after the league announced a raft of new measures to increase diversity among head coaches and front-office personnel, mandating that clubs hire a “diverse candidate” to serve as offensive assistant coach.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
