What Are the OT Rules For NFL?

If you’re a fan of the NFL, you’re probably wondering what the OT rules are. Here’s a quick rundown of the most important things to know.

Introduction

The NFL overtime rules are simple. The team that wins the coin toss gets the ball first, and they can score a touchdown to win the game right away. If they don’t score a touchdown, then the other team gets a chance to score. If both teams score touchdowns, or if neither team scores, then it goes to sudden death, and the first team to score wins. That’s it!

What are the OT rules for NFL?

NFL overtime rules are simple. Each team gets one possession. If the game is tied after each team has had one possession, the game ends in a tie. That’s it. No matter how long the game goes on for, each team only gets one chance to score.

The new NFL overtime rules

In 2017, the NFL approved a new set of overtime rules that should help to make the overtime period more exciting and fair for both teams.

Under the new rules, if the team that wins the coin toss decides to receive the ball, they can only score a touchdown on their first possession to win the game. If they don’t score a touchdown, then they give the other team a chance to score. If neither team scores, then it’s sudden death and the first team to score wins.

Previously, there was no limit to how many times each team could possess the ball in overtime. This could sometimes lead to very long games that were not particularly exciting to watch. The new rules should help to make overtime periods shorter and more exciting for both fans and players.

How the new NFL overtime rules work

Under the new NFL overtime rules, each team is guaranteed one possession. If the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its first drive, the game is over. If it scores a field goal, the other team gets a chance to score. If that team also scores a field goal, it’s sudden death — whoever scores next wins. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals on their first drives, another overtime period is played.

Why the new NFL overtime rules were implemented

In 2017, the NFL implemented new overtime rules in hopes of reducing the number of injuries that occur during overtime play. The new rules state that each team must have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once during overtime, and that if the team that possesses the ball first scores a touchdown, the game is over. If the team that possesses the ball first scores a field goal, the other team gets a chance to score. If both teams score field goals, or if neither team scores, the game goes into sudden death.

To reduce the number of injuries

When the NFL’s committee on rule changes met this past May, the discussion turned to player safety. And specifically, to the rising number of injuries on kickoffs.

So the league’s 32 owners voted unanimously to approve a change in the overtime rules for the 2017 season. Instead of each team getting a possession unless one team scores a touchdown on its first drive, now each team will get at least one chance to possess the ball. If the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown, it wins the game. If it kicks a field goal, the other team gets a possession.

But if that team also kicks a field goal, then it’s sudden death and whoever scores next wins. The only exception is if both teams kick field goals on their first possessions, then it goes back to each team having one possession. In that case, if both teams kick field goals again or if one team scores a touchdown and the other team kicks a field goal, it’s sudden death from there.

The league hopes that this will lead to fewer injuries because there will be less incentive for players to race downfield and make big hits on returners. “We think this is going to be safer for our players and still have some excitement at the end of games,” said Falcons president Rich McKay, who is also chairman of the rule-change committee.

To increase the number of plays

In 2017, the NFL implemented new overtime rules in an effort to increase the number of plays and reduce the number of player injuries. The new rules state that each team must have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in overtime, regardless of whether the first team to possess the ball scores a touchdown or not. If the first team to possess the ball in overtime kicks a field goal, then the second team will have a chance to either tie the game with a field goal of their own or win the game with a touchdown. If the second team kicks a field goal, then the game will end in a tie. If either team scores a touchdown on their first possession, then they will win the game.

How the new NFL overtime rules have affected the game

The new NFL overtime rules have had a big impact on the game. In the past, the team that won the coin toss had a big advantage. Now, with the new rules, both teams have a chance to score. This has made the game more exciting and more fair.

The number of injuries has decreased

Since the new NFL overtime rules have been put into place, the number of injuries has decreased. This is because the players are not on the field as long, and they are not hit as hard. This is a good thing for the players, and it is also good for the fans.

The number of plays has increased

Since the NFL instituted new overtime rules prior to the 2012 season, the number of plays in overtime has increased by more than 50 percent, from 78.6 plays per game to 121.1.

The new rules, which were designed to reduce the number of ties in the league, state that each team must have a chance to possess the ball at least once in overtime, unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its first drive. If both teams score touchdowns on their first drives, or if the team that loses the coin toss scores a field goal on its first drive, then both teams must have a chance to possess the ball at least once.

The increased number of plays has led to more points being scored in overtime. In 2011, there were an average of 3.7 points scored in overtime, compared to 6.1 points in 2012.

Conclusion

The NFL overtime rules are simple: each team gets one possession to score, and if the score is tied after that, the game ends in a tie. There are no sudden death or golden rule rules in place. The only exception is in preseason and regular season games, where if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their opening drive, the game ends immediately.