NFL may eliminate overtime in preseason

Arguably the most needless portion of largely meaningless NFL games could soon become part of the league's past. 

Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, NFL owners will soon vote on a proposal to eliminate overtime periods in the preseason at the upcoming league meeting. As noted by PFT, owners have, in the past, voted to keep overtime for preseasons, and 24 votes out of 32 must decide in favor of the proposal to eliminate preseason overtimes moving forward. 

One thinks logic would win out here, especially with owners recently agreeing to expand to a 17-game regular-season format that opens the door for an NFL calendar that will eventually feature 18 regular-season contests and two preseason exhibition matchups. Even for so-called "dress-rehearsal" third preseason games in August, starters and second-tier backup options are spectators for the final seconds of fourth quarters leading into potential overtimes. Any additional risk of injury isn't worth determining winners of contests that don't count toward the standings or the draft order. 

Preseason games are likely never going away entirely, but making them as short as possible benefits players, coaches, owners and even fans who trek to stadiums for those August exhibitions.