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Will the NFL update their tie rule?

Last Sunday, the Rams and 49ers played the first tie in the NFL in nearly four years. However, don't expect the NFL to change their overtime rules anytime soon.

Brian Bahr

Although Sunday's 24-24 tie between the Rams and 49ers left a bitter taste in the mouths of both fans and players alike, don't expect the NFL to make any sweeping changes to the rules going forward. According to NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson, there likely what be any changes at all.

Here's what Anderson had say, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

"It's an occasional event. There is no real concern we need to change the system," Anderson said.

For the NFL, there are a handful of reasons to keep the overtime rules as they currently are.

For one, by extending games, there is always risk of injury and diminished play on behalf of the participants, not to mention a fear of altered strategy by coaches as well. Would a team slow down a game late in regulation if one team was guaranteed a win by the end of overtime?

And finally, like everything else, TV is always a concern. Beyond the early afternoon games bleeding into the late afternoon ones, there's also concern from the television networks about their Sunday evening programing being altered as well. A multiple-overtime game could wreak havoc on their evening broadcast schedule.

And while the clamor from fans will remain, this is hardly a pressing issue on the NFL's behalf.

The Rams-49ers game on Sunday was the first NFL game to end in a tie since 2008, and just the fifth overall since 1990.