What Are NFL Overtime Rules?

If you’re a football fan, you’ve probably wondered about the NFL overtime rules. Here’s a quick rundown of how they work.

How the NFL Overtime System Works

In the NFL, if a game is tied at the end of regulation time, it will go into overtime. The overtime rules differ slightly from the regular season rules, so it’s important to know how they work before the game starts.

The overtime period is 10 minutes long, and each team gets one possession to score. If neither team scores, or if both teams score a touchdown on their first possession, the game ends in a tie.

The overtime period starts with a coin toss – the winner of the coin toss can choose to either kick off or receive. The team that kicks off starts on their own 25-yard line. The team that receives starts on their own 20-yard line.

If the team that kicks off scores a touchdown, they win the game. If they score a field goal, the other team gets one possession to try and match or beat it. If they don’t score, or if they score a safety, then the game ends in a tie.

If the team that receives scores a touchdown on their first possession, they win the game. If they don’t score at all, or if they just kick a field goal, then the other team gets one chance to score. If they match or beat the receiving team’s score, they win; if not, then whoever has more points at the end of regulation time wins.

The New NFL Overtime Rules

In 2017, the NFL changed its overtime rules to try and reduce the number of games that go into overtime. In the past, if the score was tied at the end of regulation, the game would go into overtime and the first team to score would win the game. However, under the new rules, each team is guaranteed a possession. If the score is still tied after both teams have had a possession, then the game goes into overtime and the first team to score wins.

The “First Possession” Rule

In the NFL, both teams have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in overtime, regardless of what happened in regulation. This is commonly referred to as the “first possession” rule.

The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either:

-Receive the opening kickoff and start on offense
-Defer their choice to the second half, which means they can choose to either kick off or receive after their opponent scores

If the team that wins the coin toss chooses to receive the ball, they can score a touchdown on their first drive and end the game. If they don’t score a touchdown, their opponents will then get a chance to possess the ball and try to score. If neither team scores on their first possession, or if both teams score field goals, each team will get another chance to possess the ball until one team scores more points than the other.

The “first possession” rule applies to all regular season games and playoff games that are not played in a stadium with a retractable roof. In those cases, NFL overtime rules state that each team must have a chance to possess the ball at least once in overtime, regardless of what happened in regulation.

The “Two-Possession” Rule

Under the new rules, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their first drive of overtime, the game is over. However, if they score a field goal, their opponents will get a chance to possess the ball. If they score a touchdown, they win the game. If they don’t score or if they turn the ball over, the game is over and the other team wins.

How the NFL’s Overtime System Compares to Other Leagues

In the NFL, each game is allowed up to one overtime period, which is played by the two teams whose game ended in a tie score. Each team is given one possession, starting with the team that did not have first possession in regulation play. If the game is still tied after both teams have had one possession, then the teams continue to play overtime until one team scores more points than the other team. The team that scores first during overtime is declared the winner.

In college football, there are no overtime periods. Each game is allowed up to two extra periods, called “sudden death” periods. In each sudden death period, both teams are given one possession, starting with the team that did not have first possession in regulation play. If the game is still tied after both teams have had one possession in each sudden death period, then the teams continue to play sudden death until one team scores more points than the other team. The team that scores first during any sudden death period is declared the winner.

In high school football, there are no overtime periods. Each game is allowed up to eight minutes of extra time, called “continuous play” periods. In each continuous play period, both teams are given one possessions, rotating who starts with the ball each time. If the game is still tied after both teams have had four possessions each in continuous play periods, then the teams continue to play until one team scores more points than during any prior continuous play period. The team that scores first during any extra continuous play period is declared the winner.

Why the NFL’s Overtime System is Controversial

The current NFL overtime rules have been in place since 2012, and they are pretty simple: each team gets a chance to possess the ball (unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its opening drive), and whoever scores first wins. If neither team scores, or if both teams score touchdowns on their opening drives, the game ends in a tie.

The issue, of course, is that this system is not very fair. In theory, both teams should have an equal chance to win the game, but in reality, the team that wins the coin toss has a big advantage. If that team can score a touchdown on its opening drive, the game is essentially over. The other team might get a chance to possession the ball, but it is highly unlikely that it will be able to score a touchdown and then stop the other team from scoring again.

This has led to a lot of controversy, and many people have called for changes to the overtime rules. One popular proposal is to make each team start its drive from its own 25-yard line, instead of whoever has possession getting the ball at midfield. This would give both teams an equal chance to score, and it would also make it more likely that both teams would get a chance to possess the ball.

Another proposal is to eliminate overtime altogether and just end the game in a tie if neither team has scored after 60 minutes of play. This would certainly be fair, but it would also be kind of boring. Most fans enjoy seeing some extra football after regulation time, even if it isn’t always fair.

Of course, changing the overtime rules is not as simple as just voting on it. The NFL’s competition committee would have to approve any changes, and then they would have to be ratified by two-thirds of the league’s owners. So don’t expect any changes anytime soon.

NFL Overtime Rules: FAQ

In the NFL, if a game is tied at the end of regulation time, aka four quarters, the teams will play overtime. During overtime, each team gets one possession to score points. The team that scores the most points in overtime wins the game. If the score is still tied after both teams have had one possession in overtime, then the game ends in a tie.

Here are some frequently asked questions about NFL overtime rules:

-How long is each team’s possession in overtime?
Each team’s possession in overtime consists of one drive. There are no timeouts in overtime, so once a team starts its drive, it has to keep going until it either scores or turns the ball over on downs.

-What happens if both teams score on their first drive of overtime?
If both teams score on their first drive of overtime, then they both get another chance to score on their second drive of overtime. This process repeats until one team has more points than the other at the end of any given drive.

-Can either team punt the ball away during its possession in overtime?
No. Once a team starts its possession in overtime, it cannot punt the ball away. The only way to end its possession is to either score or turn the ball over on downs. This rule prevents teams from just punting the ball away and running out the clock during their possessions in OT.

-What if a team fumbles the ball during its Overtime possessions?

If a team fumbles during an Overtime possessions and the other team recoversthe ball, then that team has an opportunity to score points immediately. There are no first downs in Overtime so whoever recoversthe fumble can just try to score a touchdown or field goal right away without having to worry about getting stopped for no gain and losing yardage like they would during regulation time play.