I don’t like the overtime change. It means a longer overtime, and data shows that means more injuries, which is why the NFL and Players Union always wanted OT to end as fast as possible.
And it still isn’t fair. Now no one will take the ball first. Having the ball second is a huge advantage in OT.
If you have the ball first, you will almost always have only 3 downs to keep a drive going. You will either punt or kick a FG rather than risk not scoring at all. The only time you might consider going on 4th down is if you are at the wrong end of your kicker’s range on 4th and short.
However, the second team with the ball, even if they start on their own 20-25, will have 4 downs all the way down the field. If the first possession resulted in a FG, the second team will go on every 4th down all the way till tying the game. If the first possession ends in a TD, the second team will never kick. They will have an extra down every 10 yards as they try to string first downs together. That is a huge advantage for the team that has the ball second, knowing what they need and knowing they have 4 downs for their entire drive when the team that had the ball first had only 3 downs.
There will never be a perfect system. And what really changes? Say KC scored a TD, but Buffalo DID get a possession and scored a TD to tie. Now KC only needs a FG to win because the game ends on the third possession to score points. Now people are still going to say it wasn’t fair to not give Buffalo a second chance with the ball. Maybe they would have gotten a FG to tie or a TD to win. It never ends.