Finally! The NFL has changed overtime rules, which should be particularly exciting for Falcons fans and Michael Penix! According to Dianna Russini, the league’s owners have passed a rule that will allow both teams to possess the ball in overtime during the regular season.
The NFL’s owners have passed a rule change that will allow both teams to possess the ball in overtime during the regular season, per source.
The overtime period will remain just 10 minutes.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 1, 2025
The overtime rule was changed a couple of years ago, but it was just for the playoffs. I have no idea why it wasn’t changed for the regular season. Nevertheless, it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.
There are a couple of instances where this should interest Falcons fans. Obviously, the Super Bowl is a sore subject. The Patriots (in)famously came back from 28-3, and Matt Ryan never got a chance in overtime.
Somehow, that instance, with one of the greatest offenses this league has ever seen on the biggest stage in the sports world, didn’t motivate owners to change the rule. The rule was changed five years later when the Bills lost to the Chiefs in overtime without touching the ball.
More recently, Falcons fans watched Michael Penix Jr. dazzle in the final two games of the season after taking over for Kirk Cousins. In overtime contests against the Commanders and Panthers, Penix never got to touch the ball in the fifth quarter, even though he’d been electric.
This rule change is long overdue. But again, it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.
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Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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