The Bengals were among 3 teams to vote against new overtime proposal

Recently, the NFL brought a new rule to the table that had been requested for a while in a change in the way overtime works.

This specific rule changes how overtime works in the playoffs. Instead of being sudden death, it requires both teams to get a possession at the start of overtime.

The provision easily passed, although three teams did vote against, one of which was the Cincinnati Bengals.

In a statement to The Athletic, Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn had this to see on why they voted against the rule change:

“I’m just a fan of the sudden-death aspect of it. I think guys have been playing for a long time. You had four quarters to try and win the game. I like the rules being the same for the regular season and the postseason, so everyone is playing the same game. I just think if you have to play an extra full quarter, to me, that’s a little bit of a disadvantage for the team that wins and plays the next week. I thought the rule was very exciting as it was. There’s always going to be a little bit of unfairness, in my mind.”

There are definitely some good points there, and the Bengals proved you could win a playoff game after losing the toss in their matchup against the Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Either way, the rule change will guarantee that Joe Burrow gets a chance in every overtime he plays in, so it should be for the best.