Patrick Mahomes Wonders How NFL Will Change Rules Again After Chiefs’ Super Bowl Win | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

After playing in a game that changed the NFL’s postseason overtime rules three years ago, Patrick Mahomes wonders if the same thing will happen again after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58.

Speaking to ESPN’s Chris Berman and Booger McFarland (starts at 5:30 mark), Mahomes joked about what the next change is going to be.

“”I mean, we changed the rules so we can execute them both ways,” he said. “I don’t know how they’re going to change them this time.”

The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 42-36 in overtime of the AFC Divisional Round in January 2022. They won the game after winning the coin toss and scoring a touchdown on their first possession.

At the time, league rules allowed for both clubs to get a possession in overtime unless the team that got the ball first scored a touchdowns. The rule was changed two months later to give both teams a chance to possess the ball.

Super Bowl 58 was the first overtime game with the new rule in place. It also prompted a discussion about what is the best strategy to go with. The 49ers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball.

San Francisco was able to drive down the field and get into scoring position, but the drive ended with a 27-yard field goal when Kansas City’s defense forced a Brock Purdy incompletion on 3rd-and-4 from the nine-yard line.

This allowed the Chiefs to plan their strategy knowing they would have to go for it on fourth down when they got the ball. They wound up converting on a 4th-and-1 from their own 34-yard line and two other third downs.

Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for a three-yard touchdown to end the game.

At this point, there probably isn’t a new way to change the overtime rules unless the NFL wants to do something dramatic like adopt the college system that gives team possession on the opposing team’s 25-yard line.

There’s no reason to change the rule. It’s as fair as the system can be with both teams guaranteed to touch the ball at least once.