Under new OT rule, Detroit Lions would have missed playoffs in 2016

NFL owners reportedly are set to approve a new rule at their meeting next week that shortens the length overtime from 15 to 10 minutes.

The Detroit Lions would have missed the playoffs had that rule been in place last season.

The Lions went 9-7 and edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC's final wildcard spot thanks to playoff tie-breakers. They won their only overtime game, 22-16, on the first possession of the extra period in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

While that result wouldn't have changed under the new system, the Bucs' Week 8 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders would have ended in a tie.

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Oakland scored the game-winning touchdown on a 41-yard pass with 1:45 left in overtime, on the period's fifth possession.

Had that game ended in a tie, the Bucs would have finished the year 9-6-1 and played the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs.

Teams might have approached overtime differently had they known the period was only 10 minutes in length. Lions president Rod Wood said that's one of the thoughts behind the new proposal.

Wood declined to say how the Lions will vote on the overtime rule -- a vote was tabled at the NFL's March meetings -- but he said the overtime debate is an "interesting" one.

"I don’t think too many people are in favor of more ties," Wood said Wednesday at the Taste of the Lions charity event. "And obviously the shorter the overtime, the opportunity exists for more ties. But the other side is player safety and how many plays you might go into a full quarter. So we’re all about enhancing player safety where we can.

"I think if you had a shorter overtime, it may encourage a little more risk taking to try and score quicker. So it could be exciting, but we’ll discuss that. That is one of the things that’s going to be voted on."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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