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The NFL’s “Overtime Problem” Is Overstated

Related Topics: extra time

Back in May, NFL owners approved a rule change reducing the overtime period from 15 to 10 minutes, claiming the change would help improve player safety. The revision sparked discussion among NFL media and fans, some of whom spoke out against the existence of regular season overtime at all.

The frustration with the NFL’s rule tinkering is understandable and it’s starting to feel like the league will never get its overtime period right. However, the complete elimination of overtime in the NFL would be extreme, as the reasons for removing overtime are often overblown and unsubstantiated.