How Do NFL Overtime Rules Work?

How do NFL overtime rules work? If you’re not familiar with the NFL’s overtime rules, here’s a quick explanation.

How the NFL Overtime Rules Work

In the NFL, if the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game goes into overtime. Each team gets one possession to score. If the score is still tied after both teams have had a possession, the game goes into sudden death. In sudden death, the first team to score wins the game, regardless of how much time is left on the clock.

The coin toss

The coin toss is used to determine which team will start on offense first. The visiting team captain calls heads or tails, and the winner gets to choose whether to kick off or receive the ball. The loser of the coin toss gets to choose the end of the field they would like to defend.

Once the decision is made, the other team gets the ball and play continues for 10 minutes. If neither team scores, play continues until one team scores or one team gains an advantage (such as a safety). If neither team scores or gains an advantage, play continues until each team has had two possessions.

Each team gets one possession

In each overtime period, regardless of which team has possession first, each team gets one complete possession on offense. That means that if the team with possession first throws an interception or loses a fumble on their first play from scrimmage, the other team gets a chance to score. And if that team does score a touchdown on their first play, the game is over.

Sudden death

In sudden death overtime, the first team to score wins the game, regardless of what happens afterwards. This can happen on any play, including a field goal or a touchdown. In the NFL regular season, if the score is still tied at the end of regulation, each team gets one possession to try and score. If neither team scores, or if both teams score a field goal on their first drive, sudden death rules apply and the first team to score wins.

In the playoffs, however, things work a little differently. In the divisional and conference championship round games, if the game is tied at the end of regulation, each team gets one possession to try and score. If neither team scores, or if both teams score a field goal on their first drive, sudden death rules apply and the first team to score wins. However, in the Super Bowl (and in preseason and regular season games where time permits), there is no sudden death overtime – each team gets one possession no matter what.

How the NFL Overtime Rules Have Changed

The NFL overtime rules have changed quite a bit over the years. The most recent change happened in 2017 when the league decided to shorten the overtime period from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. This was done in order to try and reduce the number of injuries that were occurring during the longer overtime period.

2010 changes

In 2010, the NFL amended its overtime rules for the playoffs. The rule change was designed to prevent teams from winning the coin toss, receiving the ball first, and then driving down the field for a touchdown on their opening possession. Under the new rules, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their opening drive, their opponent will still get a chance to possess the ball. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, both teams will get a chance to score in overtime.

2017 changes

The NFL overtime rules have been tweaked several times over the years, with the most recent changes coming in 2017. Prior to that season, if the team that won the coin toss scored a field goal on its opening drive, the game would end immediately. That led to complaints that the team that lost the toss was at a disadvantage, so the league changed the rules. Now, if the team that wins the toss scores a field goal on its opening drive, the other team gets a chance to score. If it does, then sudden death applies and whoever scores next wins. If neither team scores, then it goes to sudden death.

Why the NFL Overtime Rules Have Changed

In the NFL, the overtime rules have changed several times over the years. The most recent change was in 2012, when the league decided to institute a new rule to prevent teams from getting an unfair advantage. In the past, the team that won the coin toss would almost always win the game, so the new rule was put in place to level the playing field. Under the new rule, each team gets a chance to possess the ball at least once in overtime, regardless of what happens on the first drive.

Player safety

The new NFL overtime rules are intended to help improve player safety by limiting the amount of time players are on the field during overtime periods. By reducing the amount of time players are on the field, there is less opportunity for injuries to occur.

In the past, overtime periods were played using the same rules as regulation play. This meant that each team had the opportunity to possess the ball and score points, and the game could potentially go on for a very long time. This put players at risk of fatigue and injury.

Under the new rules, each team is guaranteed at least one possession in overtime. If one team scores a touchdown on their first possession, the game is over. If they score a field goal, the other team gets a chance to possess the ball and score. If both teams score field goals on their first possessions, or if neither team scores, then each team gets another chance to possess the ball until one team scores and ends the game.

The new NFL overtime rules have been met with some criticism from fans and players who feel that they take away from the excitement of sudden death overtime periods. However, player safety is always a priority for the league, and these changes are intended to help keep players healthy and reduce injuries.

More exciting games

The sudden death format of the NFL overtime period has been in place since 1974, with each team getting one possession to score. If neither team scored, or if both teams scored a touchdown and the score was tied after their extra point attempts, the game ended in a tie. In recent years, there have been concerns that this format doesn’t provide enough excitement for fans, or enough opportunity for both teams to fairly compete.

In 2017, the NFL made a change to the overtime rules in an effort to make the games more exciting and fair. Now, each team is guaranteed at least one possession in overtime, regardless of what happens on the first drive. If the team that starts on offense scores a touchdown on their first drive, the game is over. However, if they kick a field goal or don’t score at all, the other team will get a chance to possess the ball and potentially score. This change should make for more exciting games and give both teams a fair chance to win.