Can NFL End in a Tie?

With the NFL season in full swing, there’s always the possibility of a tie game. Here’s a look at how often it happens and what the league’s rules are for dealing with it.

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.

The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season; the merger was completed in 1970. Today, through agreements with Canadian football’s governing body, Gridiron Canada, along with various U.S. college football conferences, the NFL also manages two minor professional leagues, imbuing them with a similar scope as Major League Baseball’s farm system.

With Canadian football being a distinct code of play from American football, gridiron football has been played north of the border since 1884 when McGill University played against Harvard University; however, it would not be until 1959 that a truly intercontinental sport governing body was founded inattempt to standardize gridiron rules across both countries: The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (later renamed to Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Despite CISFOOTBALL having promulgated rulesets for both codes since its inception in 1959—initially based on those used by their respective governing bodies in each country at that time—the separate natures of Canadian and American codes led to each code developing differently north and south of their shared border. Different rule changes implemented in one country often had little or no effect on play on either side of said border as long as both codes used roughly similar rulesets at any given time period; conversely, radical changes to rulesets on one side of said border would often result in teams from both countries having to make substantial adjustments during mid-season matchups held across said border while they adjusted to such changes. This naturally resulted in differences between CFL/CIS gridiron games played under differing rulesets becoming even more pronounced over time until significant divergence had occurred between these two codes by 1950s.

How NFL Games End

If a game is tied after four quarters, it’s called a Deadlock. If the score is still tied, the teams play overtime. If the teams are still tied after an overtime period, the game ends in a tie.

Regulation

In the NFL, the game cannot end in a tie. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will play overtime. The overtime period is one 10-minute sudden death period. This means that the first team to score in overtime will win the game. If neither team scores in overtime, the game will end in a tie.

Overtime

If the score is still tied at the end of regulation time, the game enters sudden death overtime. In sudden death, the first team to score wins, regardless of what happens afterwards. It doesn’t matter if the other team scores a touchdown on its next drive – if you scored first in overtime, you win. Sudden death overtime can end on any play, including an interception return for a touchdown or a missed field goal.

Exception

There is one exception to the rule that NFL games cannot end in a tie. If the score is tied at the end of overtime, the game is declared a tie. This has only happened seven times in NFL history, the most recent being in 2016 when the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals played to a 6-6 draw.

Why Ties Happen

Although it rarely happens, ties can occur in an NFL game. Here’s a look at how and why they happen.

Score is Tied at the End of Regulation

The NFL’s current overtime rules, which were established in 2012, state that if the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game will go into overtime. During overtime, each team will get one possession to score, unless the team that has the ball first scores a touchdown, which would end the game immediately. If both teams score field goals on their first possession, or if both teams fail to score, the game will continue as sudden death, meaning that the first team to score any points wins.

Score is Tied at the End of Overtime

In the NFL, if the score is tied at the end of overtime, the game ends in a tie. This has been the rule since 1974, when NFL owners amended the league’s bylaws to state that “if at the end of regulation time or overtime periods, the score is tied, the game shall end in a tie.”

The reason for this rule is to prevent teams from playing for a tie. In other words, if a team knows that it can’t win in overtime, it might as well try to lose so that it can get a better draft pick.

The rule was controversial when it was first instituted, and it remains controversial today. Some people believe that ties are arbitrary and unfair, while others believe that they add excitement to the game and force teams to play harder.

Either way, there’s no easy solution to the problem of ties in football. The best solution might be to simply accept them as part of the game.

Conclusion

In conclusion, NFL games cannot end in a tie. If the game is still tied after overtime, the teams will keep playing until one team finally scores. This has happened before, and it usually happens when both teams are exhausted. So, if you’re ever wondering if an NFL game can end in a tie, the answer is no.