When the NFL changed the overtime format last season to guarantee both teams a possession, coaches lacked consensus on whether kicking or receiving after the coin toss was preferable. Even now, midway through the second season under the new format, no clear agreement has emerged.
Through five overtime games this season, three teams that won the toss elected to kick, while two chose to receive.
On Sunday, two overtime games featured different approaches. The Commanders won the toss and chose to kick, resulting in a tie against the Giants. The Ravens won the toss and chose to receive, ultimately defeating the Falcons. Ravens coach Jesse Minter explained that the decision to receive was informed by his team’s research into the advantages of getting the ball first, as well as game-specific factors.
“There’s a lot of numbers,” Minter said of researching the overtime strategies. “I think the team that takes the ball has a much better record over time. You study that stuff, you look at it.”
Against the Falcons specifically, Minter believed Ravens running back Derrick Henry was wearing down the opposing defense and wanted to capitalize on that momentum.
“I did feel like our offense was rolling a little bit and their defense was getting a little bit tired,” Minter said. “If you go out there and get Derrick rolling again, you’re out of the two-minute mode and back in the normal offense, we could punish them with the run game a little bit, and that’s what happened.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn took a different approach on Sunday, but the decision wasn’t discussed after the game due to his team’s clock-management meltdown at the end of overtime. In three prior NFL overtime games this season, Jets coach Aaron Glenn chose to receive and lost to the Packers, Colts coach Shane Steichen chose to kick and lost to the Chiefs, and Saints coach Kellen Moore chose to kick and lost to the Lions.
Overall, the trend this season suggests that winning the coin toss doesn’t matter much, making the current format an improvement over the old one.
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