NFL

Win, Lose, or… Tie

Oct 22, 2020, 12:20 PM | Updated: 12:30 pm

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)...

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

American sports are very different to each other, but there are three universal rules that everyone says must happen for each sport.

  1. The National Anthem must be played before each game for some reason. (Don’t worry. This article won’t be about that.)
  2. There must be plenty of stops in play for commercials and for us to grab something to eat/drink
  3. No matter what, the game must end with a winner and a loser! (Except for the NFL)

This argument usually comes up every year because at some point an NFL game ends in a tie and people scream and shout, “FOOTBALL CAN’T END IN A TIE! THIS ISN’T SOCCER!” But why not? My argument is if you’re not good enough to win in the time you’re given, you do not deserve a win. I also believe if another team can’t beat you, you should not lose the game. You can also make the argument that the one tie we had so far in the NFL has made the worst division in the league interesting. Let’s take a look at the NFC East.

In Week 3 the Eagles tied the Bengals 23-23 and with only one win so far they are in second place. If the Eagles ended up losing that game they would be in last place with a 1-5 record, tied with Washington and the Giants. Everyone blasted the Eagles for not going for the win, but that tie has become almost as important as a win. They are in second place and have a chance to take first place with a win against the Giants on Thursday night, and a Cowboys loss to Washington.

Speaking of Washington…

This was a game that I actually predicted would end in a tie, but “Riverboat Ron” decided to go for the win with a two point conversion and Washington did not convert. People like to say that a tie is the same thing as a loss, but that decision had a major impact. If Washington and the Giants ended in a tie Washington would be second behind the Cowboys with a chance to be in first place if they beat the Cowboys on Sunday.

With all of that said once a week I will make a prediction in what game I think can end in a tie, and how that might affect the season. With all of that said, I think the Cowboys and Washington will end in a tie. The Cowboys are trying to hang on to that top spot in the NFC East, and I think Washington learns their lesson and plays a little more conservative going down the stretch.

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Win, Lose, or… Tie