By GAVIN MENDOZA, Senior Reporter
The NFL playoffs are coming to a close as the Bengals are taking on the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Feb. 14.
The playoffs produced some exciting and fun games, but nobody would argue that the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game was the best.
Many people were not happy about the ending of the game, however, because they think the overtime rules for the NFL should be changed.
The rules now state that, if the team wins the coin toss and they elect to receive the ball, they can score a touchdown and end the game. This results in only one team getting a chance to score, which is what people were upset about. The Kansas City Chiefs got the ball and scored a touchdown right away, leaving the Bills to walk away without a chance to answer back.
Many thought this rule needed to change, but I believe it is perfectly fine where it is at. The rule went into effect in 2010 and has heavily favored the team that got the ball first. However, defense is just as important as offense, especially in the playoffs.
It can be argued that leaving the fate of a team up to a coin toss is wrong. The Bills were on the wrong end of the coin toss and had to put their defense out there, which had let up 21 points in the last three minutes of gametime. But the Chiefs were once again in an overtime game the next weekend against the Bengals and won the coin toss again. This time, they were not so fortunate.
The Bengals stopped the Chiefs by getting an interception and then marching down the field to kick a field goal and win the game. This is exactly why the rule should not be changed. In back-to-back weeks, we saw the same thing happen with the same team, but one opposing team was able to do its job and get a stop on the defensive side of the ball.
Many argue that implementing the college football overtime rules of each team getting a chance to score would be the best solution.
But professional football and college football are far different games, and the aspect of needing to get the job done on both sides of the ball is something that makes the National Football League unique.