Should the NFL eliminate ties?

By Jay Blackwell.

The objective of any basic sports competition is to win the game. At the end of every game there is usually a winner and a loser. In every major sport there should never be game without a clear winner and a clear loser.

The NFL begs to differ.

Exactly two weeks after the infamous Sunday Night thriller in the desert two weeks ago which saw the Seattle Seahawks tie the Arizona Cardinals 6-6, we saw yet another tie this past Sunday when the Washington Redskins tied the Cincinnati Bengals 27-27 in London.

The NFL has a flawed overtime and this is now the second week in a row that we’ve witnessed why. With the amount of time and preparation both the players and coaches put in week in and week out they should never play a game where the outcome isn’t outright. The same can be said for the fans as no fan should have to enduring watching their team tie.

The NFL for all its flaws, needs to get this right and soon.

While it does have its critics, the college football overtime system is the most effective overtime in all of sports. Save me the “that’s not football” comments and remember the fact that there are no ties in college football. The teams take the ball from the 30 yard line and play football until ultimately one team fails to score. After two overtimes you’re forced to try a two point conversion on every touchdown.

The NFL should do the same but from the 50 yard line as the only rule change. By moving the ball to the 50 yard line you make it challenging for the offense while also still keeping the pressure on the defense. By not having a kickoff and a smaller playing field you also address the issue of head injuries and just injuries in general.

There is simply no room for ties in professional sports. There should always be a definitive outcome. Save ties for the preseason when no overtime ever should be played. The NFL doesn’t have ties in the playoffs, obviously, but when you only play 16 regular season games every game is essentially a playoff game.

These two ties come during a time for the NFL when it’s dealing with its first ratings crisis in years. The NFL has owned Sundays but just recently was crushed by the World Series when they went head to head Sunday night. I’m not suggesting that these two ties over the past few weeks are the reason for that but it’s clear the product the NFL has put on the field this season doesn’t match what the common viewer wants to see.

So maybe, Mr. Commissioner the fans are trying to tell you something. The fans are sick of the silly penalties for end zone celebrations, the continuous mishandling of domestic abuse, and lastly all things in correlation with Deflate-gate. All in all NFL fans would forgive these things if the product on the field gave merit to that idea.

Ask yourself this; would you watch a 6-6 tie for 75 minutes in primetime? Also, how would you like to wake up at nine in the morning only to see your team tie?

Wake up Roger Goodell. There’s no room for ties in the NFL.