User:AngelT21/Overtime (sports)

On 5 February 2017, a Super Bowl went into overtime for the first time, with the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 34–28. '''The Patriots won the toss and decided to receive the ball instead of kicking it, and this turned out perfectly for them. The Patriots scored a touchdown on their initial possession, so the Falcons never received the ball in overtime.'''

'''What played a role in the NFL changing the overtime rules in the playoffs was a playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. It was in the second round of the playoffs 2021-2022 playoffs. In the 4th quarter, Josh Allen led the Bills 75 yards with a minute left to take the lead against the Chiefs with a three-point lead with 13 seconds left in the game. Patrick Mahomes worked his magic and got the Chiefs into field goal range to tie the game. The game went to overtime, and the Chiefs won the toss and elected to receive. They ended up scoring a touchdown to win the game. Fans were happy the game was very entertaining but felt bummed out that Josh Allen and the Bills did not have a chance to play in overtime. The NFL heard the fans and changed the overtime playoff rules.'''

A 2022 rule change gives both teams one possession to start the first overtime in playoff games, no matter whether or not a touchdown is scored first. The first and only game to go into overtime under this rule was Super Bowl LVIII following the 2023 season. However, that game was not impacted by the rule change; the San Francisco 49ers kicked a field goal on their first possession and the Kansas City Chiefs would have gotten a possession under the pre-2022 rule as well.

'''Fred Warner and Patrick Mahomes walked to the field to decide on the coin toss, and the 49ers ended up winning and decided to receive the ball. This caused a lot of controversy throughout social media because if the 49ers score a field goal or touchdown, the Chiefs can win the game if they score a touchdown. To make it more clear, if the 49ers score a touchdown and make the extra point, they would have a 7-point lead. The Chiefs can drive down the field, score a touchdown, and go for two instead of kicking for the extra point. If the Chiefs are successful in the two-point conversion, the game will be over, and the Chiefs will have won the game. So, in this case, Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers should have kicked the ball instead of receiving it first. They put themselves at a disadvantage.'''