The Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals fought to a 13-13 tie last Sunday, the first such tie in an NFL game since November 11, 2002, when Pittsburgh and Atlanta played to a 34-34 tie.
Ties are obviously rare in the NFL – if a game is tied at the end of regulation, a 15 minute “sudden death” overtime is played, in which the first time to score wins. Since it’s fairly easy for most teams to at least get a field goal when they need one, most games end within that overtime period.
During the regular season, if neither team scores during the overtime period, the game ends in a tie. During the playoffs, however, overtimes are added until a team scores. It’s as simple as that. And you’d think one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks would know that. But apparently Donovan McNabb does not. After the game, McNabb was quoted as saying:
“I didn’t know [a game could end in a tie]… I’ve never been part of a tie. I never even knew it was in the rule book. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately with the rules, we settled with a tie.”
Huh? I know that ties don’t happen often, but jeez – this is a basic NFL rule we’re talking about here, not something obscure like a 1 point safety! But no, McNabb’s idiocy continued:
“I hate to see what happens in the Super Bowl or I hate to see what happens in the playoffs. You have to settle with a tie.”
Sigh. Yes, Donovan, the NFL would let the Super Bowl end in a tie! Jeez – that guy is as dumb as a box of rocks!
Go back to your Chunky soup, Donovan, the grown-ups are talking!