What Is The Most Overtimes In Nfl History?
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The most overtime games in NFL history have been played in the past decade. In fact, there have been more than twice as many overtime games in the NFL since the 2010 season than there were in the entire decade of the 2000s.
The Most Overtimes in NFL History
In NFL history, there have been a total of 71 games that have gone into overtime. Of those 71 games, there have been 24 games that have gone into double overtime, and 3 games that have even gone into triple overtime! The longest game in NFL history was a contest between the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens in 2013 that went into triple overtime and lasted a total of 7 hours and 16 minutes.
The Most Overtimes in a Single Game
In the history of the National Football League (NFL), there have been several instances of a game going into overtime. In regular season games, if both teams are tied at the end of regulation time, one additional period of 10 minutes ( sudden death ) is played. If the score is still tied after those 10 minutes, another period is played. This process continues until one team scores and the other team does not (or, in some cases, until one team scores and the other team declines to score). In postseason games, only one extra period is played—if necessary — regardless of whether or not both teams are tied at the end of regulation time.
The Most Overtimes in a Season
Since the NFL began formally tracking overtime games in 1974, there have been 148 regular season games that have gone into overtime. That’s an average of about four per season. The most overtime games in a season occurred in the 2010 season, when there were seven.
Interestingly, three of those seven games took place in the same week (Weeks 11-12). In Week 11, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens played to a 23-20 final in Baltimore. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals played to a 20-17 final after OT in Arizona. And finally, in Week 12, the Houston Texans and New York Jets played to a 30-27 final in Houston.
The Most Overtimes in a Playoff Game
The most overtimes in a playoff game occurred on January 10, 2004, when the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-31. The game was a divisional round matchup, and it went to overtime after the Chiefs scored a touchdown with just over a minute remaining in regulation to tie the score at 31. The Colts won the coin toss to start overtime, and they ended up winning the game on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison.
