The penultimate game of the first week of the 2024 NFL season was thrilling right up until the end, as the Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. Cris Collinsworth was in the building commentating the game for Football on Sunday evening on NBC. Fortunately for the Lions and their fans, Collinsworth wasn’t the one calling the team’s plays.
As the Rams approached the goal line for what would ultimately be the game-winning touchdown, Collinsworth seemed unclear about the NFL’s overtime rules.
When the Lions conceded a first down inside Los Angeles’ 20-yard line on the first possession of overtime, Collinsworth’s commentary focused on how Detroit could best set up a field goal.
“You start thinking about it, right?” Collinsworth said. “You start thinking about how much you need before you line up and kick? You start thinking about which side the kicker should kick from? It’s so easy right now. I don’t think they’re going to take any big risks. I just think they’re going to play controlled, really get to the third down and then maybe kick.”
“You start thinking about it, right? You start thinking about how much you need before you line up and shoot? You start thinking about which side your kicker should be able to shoot from?”
Cris Collinsworth seemed to think it was sudden death in overtime. pic.twitter.com/2b78jnA3QQ
— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) 9 September 2024
That’s a strategy a team might consider in sudden-death overtime. The Lions were inside the 20-yard line when Collinsworth made the comments, giving them a field goal of around 35 yards. That’s well within the range of an NFL kicker, especially in a dome. So if you’re in that part of the field in sudden-death, it makes perfect sense to kick a field goal on third down to give yourself a second chance in case of a bad snap.
There is, of course, a problem: When the Lions had the ball, there was no sudden-death overtime.
During overtime, Collinsworth’s partner, game commentator Mike Tirico, said the Lions needed a touchdown to end the game. He said this more than once, including immediately before Collinsworth’s above-mentioned comments.
Mike Tirico had stated several times before Cris Collinsworth’s comments that the Lions would win with a *touchdown* on the opening drive of overtime.
Example: https://t.co/6cghRBhllp pic.twitter.com/gg2Ga2DuXJ
— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) 9 September 2024
*Right before* Cris Collinsworth’s comments, Mike Tirico said, “A (Lions) touchdown decides the game, and the Rams will never get it.” pic.twitter.com/emWH0AnCIw
— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) 9 September 2024
The NFL overtime rules are as follows.
If the team that first has possession of the ball scores a touchdown, the game is over. Otherwise, the team taking the overtime kickoff is guaranteed possession unless the first possession lasts the full 10 minutes or the defense scores a point. If the game is tied at any time after the first possession, it becomes sudden death.
In the postseason, different rules apply. And to be honest, overtime was a real sudden death for a long time, including during Collinsworth’s entire playing career. But the current rules have been in place for well over a decade.
In a different situation, Collinsworth’s comments — even on the first possession of overtime — would have made more sense. If the Lions were facing a third-and-long and were on the outer edge of their kicker’s range, it might have made more sense to play conservatively, gain a few yards and make the field goal safer. In inclement weather, it might also make more sense to get to the ideal side of the field.
But none of those situations were in play here. It was just the opposite. Detroit had no trouble moving the ball in overtime. The Lions only had one third down attempt in overtime – and it was a third-and-1. There was no reason to think things would get out of hand, but if they did, the situation was still largely in their favor.
(Image credit: NBC)
