How Do NFL Overtime Rules Work?

How do NFL overtime rules work? If you’ve ever wondered, then you’re in luck. We’ve got the lowdown on how overtime works in the NFL, from regular season to the playoffs.

Introduction

Overtime in the NFL is like a second game. Both teams get the ball on offense, and there are no kickoffs. The game can end in a tie if neither team scores, or if both teams score the same number of points. If one team scores more points than the other, that team wins the game.

There are two types of overtime in the NFL: sudden death and 10-minute quarters.

Sudden death is used during the regular season and playoffs. It means that the first team to score any points during overtime wins the game. The game can end on any play, including field goals and safeties.

Ten-minute quarters are used during the Pro Bowl. Each team gets one possession per quarter, regardless of whether they score or not. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, each team gets two more possessions (overtime periods). If the score is still tied after those two possessions, then whoever has scored the most points after all four overtime periods wins the game.

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, and if the score is still tied, the game ends in a tie. Here’s a look at how the NFL overtime rules work.

The Coin Toss

The first thing that happens is the coin toss. The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either kick off or receive, or they can choose which goal to defend. The loser of the coin toss gets to choose the remaining option.

Once the decision has been made, the teams will line up for the kickoff. The kicking team’s kicker will kick the ball from their own 30-yard line to the receiving team, who will try to advance it as far down the field as possible.

If the receiving team manages to score a touchdown on this drive, they win the game. If they only manage to get a field goal, then both teams get a chance to possess the ball on offense for one more drive each.

Possession First

In the NFL, both the regular season and postseason overtime rules are identical. Each team has the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in overtime, unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its opening drive. In that case, the game is over.

If, after each team has had one possession, the score is still tied, the game continues in sudden death fashion. That means that the first team to score any points during overtime — whether it’s a touchdown, field goal or safety — wins the game. There are no Kickoff Returns in NFL OT.

Sudden Death

The NFL overtime rules are simple: each team gets one possession to score, and if the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game ends in a tie. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Here’s everything you need to know about how NFL overtime rules work.

Sudden death is the most common type of overtime in the NFL. It is used in all regular season and postseason games. In sudden death, the first team to score wins the game, regardless of what happens on the ensuing possession.

If the score is still tied at the end of a sudden death period, another period of sudden death will be played. This can go on indefinitely until one team scores.

In the playoffs, if neither team has scored after two full sudden death periods (i.e., each team has had at least one possession), the game will then move to a modified version of sudden death. In this version, each team gets one chance to score from the 25-yard line; if they don’t score, or if they score a touchdown but fail to convert the extra point, the other team gets a chance from the 25-yard line. This can go on indefinitely until one team finally breaks through and scores.

The rule was changed for the 2017 season in an effort to reduce the number of ties in games; prior to 2017, if neither team had scored after two full sudden death periods (i.e., each team had at least one possession), then the game would automatically end in a tie.

Field Goals

Field goals are live balls. If the field goal is missed, and the ball is not touched before it goes out of bounds, then it is a dead ball and the opposing team will take over on downs. If the field goal is good, then the team that made the field goal will get the ball back and can run an offensive play.

Why the NFL Overtime Rules Are Controversial

The current NFL overtime rules have been in place since 2012, and they are reasonably simple: each team gets one possession, unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its first drive, in which case the game ends immediately. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals, the game goes to sudden death, and the first team to score wins.

The Injustice of the Coin Toss

The current NFL overtime rules are controversial because they give one team an unfair advantage: the team that wins the coin toss gets to choose whether they want to play offense or defense. If they choose offense, they get the ball first and have a chance to score a touchdown and end the game. If they choose defense, the other team gets the ball first, but if they score a touchdown, the game is over.

This means that if both teams are equally matched, the team that wins the coin toss has a 50% chance of winning the game, while the team that loses the coin toss has a 50% chance of losing the game. This is not fair!

The coin toss also gives an advantage to teams that have a strong defense, because they can choose to play defense first and then have a chance to score on offense if the other team doesn’t score. Teams with a strong offense may not want to risk playing defense first, because if they don’t score, they lose.

Some people have suggested changing the NFL overtime rules so that both teams get an equal chance to possess the ball at least once in overtime. This would be fairer than the current system, but it would also make games last longer and could lead to more injuries.

The Inequity of Possession First

Under the current rule, the team that wins the coin toss has a HUGE advantage. That team can score a touchdown on its first drive and then the game is over. The team that loses the coin toss almost never has a chance to even touch the ball in overtime. In the 2016 season, there were 18 overtime games. The team that won the coin toss won 15 of those games. That’s an 83% success rate!

In 2017, there were changes made to try and address this issue. Now, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its first drive, the game is still not over. The other team gets a chance to possess the ball and has a chance to tie or win the game with its own scoring drive. If both teams score touchdowns on their first drives, then it becomes sudden death and whoever scores next (a touchdown or field goal) wins the game.

While this change was meant to address the inequity of possession first, it still means that the team that wins the coin toss has a big advantage. In 2017, there were 19 overtime games. The team that won the coin toss won 12 of those games. That’s a 63% success rate which is still much higher than 50%.

There are some who believe that this rule change actually made things worse because now there is even more incentive for teams to win the coin toss. Before, at least both teams had a chance to possess the ball in overtime regardless of who won the coin toss. Now, if you win the coin toss and score a touchdown on your first drive, you have a very good chance of winning without your opponent ever touching the ball!

The Danger of Sudden Death

When the game is on the line and the score is tied, there’s nothing more exciting than watching two teams battle it out in overtime. But for all its exhilaration, sudden death overtime has come under fire in recent years for putting players in danger.

In 2012, then-Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending injury when he was sacked during an overtime game against the Seattle Seahawks. And just this past season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was knocked out of a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after taking a hard hit in overtime.

The fear is that with so much on the line, players will be more likely to take risks that could lead to injuries. And indeed, research has shown that injuries are more likely to occur in overtime games than in regular games.

One solution that has been proposed is to change the rules so that each team gets at least one possession in overtime, regardless of who scores first. This would eliminate the possibility of a team winning the game on its first drive, and would make sure both teams have a chance to win.

But some argue that this would make the overtime period too long and too predictable. Others say it would simply be unfair to award a victory to a team that didn’t score on its first drive.

What do you think? Would changing the NFL’s overtime rules make the game safer or fairer?

How the NFL Could Change Its Overtime Rules

The NFL’s overtime rules are coming under scrutiny after a series of recent games have gone on for too long. Some fans are even calling for the rules to be changed. So, what are the NFL’s overtime rules and how could they be changed? Let’s take a look.

The College Rule

In 2017, the NFL implemented a modified version of the college overtime rules for the regular season. In the NFL, both teams are guaranteed one possession each in overtime unless the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on its first drive. If that happens, the game is over. If not, then both teams get another chance to score. The NFL’s version of the college overtime rules eliminates the possibility of a game ending on a defensive player’s turnover.

The Possession Rule

In recent years, the “possession rule” has been the most controversial aspect of NFL overtime rules. The rule allows each team to possess the ball at least once in overtime, unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its first drive.

Critics of the rule say that it is unfair, because the team that wins the coin toss has a significant advantage. They point to statistics that show that teams that win the coin toss win about 60 percent of overtime games.

Supporters of the rule say that it is fair, because it gives both teams a chance to score. They point to statistics that show that teams that lose the coin toss win about 40 percent of overtime games.

The possession rule was implemented in 1974, after several high-profile games ended with one team never getting a chance to possess the ball in overtime. The most famous example is the “Heidi Game” between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders in 1968, which ended with the Jets scoring a touchdown on their only drive of overtime.

In 2012, the NFL considered changing the possession rule, but ultimately decided to keep it in place. The league said that changing the rule would have “unintended consequences” and would not solve the problem of teams never getting a chance to possess the ball in overtime.

The Two-Point Conversion Rule

The National Football League (NFL) could change its overtime rules for the upcoming season, which would mean that the two-point conversion would become a more important part of the game. The league’s competition committee is considering a proposal that would give each team one possession in overtime, regardless of whether they score a touchdown or not on their first drive, according to NFL.com.

If the proposal passes, it would be a significant change to the way overtime has worked since the league introduced the sudden death format in 1974. In sudden death, the team that scores first wins the game, regardless of how many points they score. The proposed rule change would mean that both teams would get at least one chance to score, and if neither team scored on their first possession, then the game would go into sudden death.

The two-point conversion was introduced in 1994, and while it has been used sparingly since then, it has become more popular in recent years. In 2014, there were 22 successful two-point conversion attempts out of 53 attempts (41.5%), and in 2015, there were 27 successful conversions out of 59 attempts (45.8%).

The proposed rule change would likely lead to more teams going for two-point conversions in overtime, as they would know that they would get at least one more chance to score if they didn’t convert on their first attempt. This could make for some exciting finishes to games, and it would also add an additional wrinkle to strategy for coaches who have to decide whether to go for one point or two points after scoring a touchdown.

Conclusion

In the NFL, if a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will play an overtime period to determine a winner. The overtime period is 10 minutes long, and each team starts with possession of the ball at its own 25-yard line. The team that scores first wins the game. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals on their first possessions, the teams continue playing until one team scores a touchdown.