The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to their fourth-straight AFC championship game, after beating the Buffalo Bills in a game that will go down as an instant classic.
Both the Chiefs and the Bills traded blows all game long, with the final minutes delivering some of the most jaw-dropping play of the entire season.
25 points were scored in the final two minutes of the game - an NFL postseason record - with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing for 177 yards after the two minute warning.
But as stunning as the game was, the ending was equally controversial, with the NFL’s overtime format once again stirring conversation around its fairness.
The NFL overtime rules state that “Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) — continues until a winner is determined.”
This meant that after winning the coin toss, Kansas City needed only to score once to win the game.
The Chiefs did just that, with Mahomes finding Travis Kelce in the end-zone to win the game with an eight-yard pass.
But the internet did not take kindly to this, lambasting the overtime rules as unfair, and believing that the Bills and Josh Allen deserved a chance to equal the game.
Here’s what people had to say about the NFL’s overtime rules:
Awesome pic of the play which had the biggest impact on the game. Look at the determination on everybody's faces. This is what the NFL is all about pic.twitter.com/gSP5NlVQbd
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 24, 2022
Josh Allen didn’t even get a chance…and that’s why the NFL overtime is the worst overtime of any sport in the world.
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) January 24, 2022
I didn’t have a vested interest in who won this game but I’ll never stop ranting how unfair the NFL overtime system is. both teams should get a possession, period. otherwise it literally comes down to a coin toss. follow me for more of my football hot takes.
— shauna (@goldengateblond) January 24, 2022
Josh Allen left the field with a lead and 13 seconds left in regulation.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 24, 2022
Time we re-examine the @NFL overtime rules. Josh Allen threw for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns, he scored on 3 of his final 4 possessions and never touched the ball in overtime. #Bills
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 24, 2022
when you learn NFL overtime rules pic.twitter.com/qiNJ2dXLmy
— allison (@allisongeroi) January 24, 2022
This game deserved to end without the dated restrictions of the NFL’s overtime rule, which allowed a flip of a coin deprive America of seeing Josh Allen touch the ball in the extra session. #NFLPlayoffs
— David Haugh (@DavidHaugh) January 24, 2022
the nfl needs college overtime.
— jackson sumlin (@jacksonsumlin) January 24, 2022
The Chiefs are no stranger to the cruelty of overtime rules; just four years ago they lost the AFC championship game to Tom Brady and the Patriots in overtime.
These same concerns were much discussed then, with the Chiefs even proposing a rule change at the time, which was voted down by the NFL owners.
For those who are arguing that the NFL should change the overtime rules to make sure both teams touch the ball: Chiefs owner Clark Hunt proposed just such a rule 3 years ago, after the Chiefs lost the AFC Championship Game in OT. His proposal was voted down. So don't blame us.
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 24, 2022
For the Bills, it is a heartbreaking way to end one of their most exciting seasons in recent memory, going down to the Chiefs for the second consecutive year.
While the Chiefs may be celebrating their luck, they will need to regroup soon, as they’re set to take on a dark-horse Cincinnati Bengals team that has already taken down the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans on their way to their most successful season in over 30 years.