What Is the NFL’s Overtime Rule?

The NFL’s overtime rule is 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 the NFL’s overtime rule.

Definition of Overtime in the NFL

Overtime in the National Football League (NFL) is a method of extending the game to resolve a tie between two teams. It is only used during the regular season and not during the playoffs. The overtime rule was implemented in 1974 and modified in 2010.

During the regular season, each team has one bye week, which means that they do not play that week. Because of this, there are 16 games played over 17 weeks. If a game is tied at the end of regulation time (60 minutes), then overtime periods of 15 minutes each are played until one team scores. The team that scores first during overtime wins the game. If neither team scores during overtime, then the game ends in a tie.

During the 2010 NFL season, there were 11 games that went into overtime and three games that ended in a tie.

How the Overtime Rule Works

The NFL overtime rule is simple. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game goes into overtime. The team that wins the coin toss gets to choose whether to receive or kick off. If they choose to receive, the other team kicks off. If they choose to kick off, the other team receives. The team that scores first wins the game.

The Coin Toss

The overtime rules in the NFL are simple: each team gets one possession to score, and whoever scores first wins. If the score is tied after both teams have had a possession, then the game ends in a tie.

The overtime period starts with a coin toss. The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either:

-Have the first possession of overtime, or
-Defer their choice to the second half and have the last possession of overtime.

If the team that wins the coin toss chooses to have the first possession of overtime, then they will get one chance to score. If they score a touchdown, they win the game. If they don’t score a touchdown, then the other team will get a chance to score. If both teams end up with touchdowns, or if neither team scores, then it’s sudden death and whoever scores first (on any play) wins.

If the team that wins the coin toss chooses to defer their choice to the second half and have the last possession of overtime, then they will kick off to start overtime. The other team will get one chance to possess and score. If they score a touchdown, then they win the game without giving the ball back to the other team. If they don’t score a touchdown but do kick a field goal, then they go ahead but must give the ball back to the other team who will then have a chance to tie or win with their own touchdown. If both teams end up kicking field goals, or if neither team scores at all, then it’s sudden death and whoever scores first (on any play) wins

Sudden Death

In sudden death, the first team to score wins, regardless of how much time is left in regulation or how many regulation scoring drives each team had. The game ends as soon as one team scores; there are no extra points in sudden death (though a 2-point conversion is still an option). The defense can score in sudden death as well — if, say, the quarterback throws an interception that’s returned for a touchdown, the game is over.

First Possession

In the NFL, both the coin toss and first possession are important. The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either kick off or receive. They can also choose which end of the field they want to defend.

The team that loses the coin toss has to choose one of those two options. But they can also defer their decision until the second half. If they do that, then they get to choose whether to kick off or receive at the start of the second half.

It’s important to remember that in overtime, there are no kickoff returns. So if you’re receiving the ball, you’re getting it on your own 20-yard line.

Once the team that wins the coin toss makes their decision, the other team gets to decide what they want to do.

History of the Overtime Rule

The NFL’s overtime rule has been a source of controversy for many years. The rule was first instituted in the late 1970s, and has been amended several times since then. The current rule states that if the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game will go into overtime. Each team will get a chance to possess the ball, and if the score is still tied, the game will end in a tie.

Pre-1958

The NFL’s overtime rule has undergone several iterations since its inception in 1958. The original rule stated that if the score was tied at the end of regulation, the game would go into sudden death overtime. The first team to score would be declared the winner. In 1974, the NFL amended the rule to allow each team to possess the ball at least once in overtime, unless the team that received the opening kickoff scored a touchdown on its first drive. If both teams failed to score on their first possessions, or if one team only managed a field goal, the game would proceed in sudden death fashion.

1958-1974

The first overtime game in NFL history occurred on December 28, 1958, during the 1958 NFL Championship game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. The game went into sudden death overtime, and Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas led his team to victory with a touchdown pass to end the game. In 1974, the NFL introduced a new rule that allowed each team to possess the ball at least once in overtime if the game was still tied after regulation play. This rule was nicknamed “sudden death overtime.”

1974-1977

In 1974, the NFL introduced a playoff overtime system in which each team was guaranteed possession of the ball at least once in overtime if the score was tied after regulation time. If the team that possessed the ball first scored a touchdown, it won the game. If it scored a field goal, the other team then had a chance to score. If that team scored a touchdown, it won. If it didn’t, or if it also kicked a field goal, the game ended in a tie.

1977-present

From 1977 to present, the overtime rule in the NFL has undergone several changes. The current rule is that each team is allowed one possession (unless the team that has the ball first scores a touchdown, in which case the game ends immediately). If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals, then the game enters a “sudden death” overtime period. In sudden death, the first team to score any points (field goal or touchdown) wins the game.

There have been several modifications to this rule over the years. In 2010, the NFL tweaked the rules so that if a team wins the coin toss and chooses to receive the ball, they can still win the game with a field goal on their first drive of overtime. Prior to this change, if both teams had scored field goals on their first drives of OT, then the game would have automatically ended in a tie.

In 2012, further changes were made so that if a team receives the ball first and scores a touchdown on their first drive of OT, then the game ends immediately and that team is declared the winner. However, if that same team kicks a field goal on their first drive of OT, then the other team gets a chance to either tie with a field goal or win with a touchdown of their own.

Criticism of the Overtime Rule

The NFL overtime rule has come under fire in recent years, with many people feeling that it is unfair and does not lead to a fair outcome. The rule is that the team who wins the coin toss can choose to either kick off or receive the ball, and if they score a touchdown, they win the game. However, if the other team scores a touchdown, they get a chance to possess the ball and potentially score themselves. This has led to many people feeling that the team who wins the coin toss has an unfair advantage.

Inequality

In 2017, the NFL approved a new rule for overtime: starting in the playoffs, and continuing in the regular season, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their opening drive, the game ends. The other team never even gets a chance to possess the ball. This “sudden death” overtime system has been criticized for being unfair, as it gives a significant advantage to the team that wins the coin toss.

In addition, many have argued that the new rule is bad for football. In a close game, both teams have fought hard for four quarters, and neither deserves to lose without even having a chance to touch the ball in overtime. Some have even suggested that the new rule could lead to more injuries, as players will be hitting each other harder knowing that they need a touchdown on every play.

What do you think? Is the new NFL overtime rule fair?

Player Safety

One of the main criticisms of the NFL’s overtime rule is that it puts players at an increased risk of injury. In a study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, it was found that players who participated in overtime games were more likely to suffer injuries that caused them to miss playing time than those who did not play in overtime games.

The study also found that the risk of injury was highest in the first overtime period, and decreased in subsequent periods. However, the overall risk of injury was still higher for players who participated in overtime games than those who did not.

The increased risk of injury is a result of the fact that players are required to play more snaps in an overtime game than they would in a regular game. This increased number of snaps can lead to players being more fatigued, and thus more prone to injury.

In addition to the increased risk of injury, there is also criticism that the current overtime rule does not provide for an equal opportunity for both teams to score points. Under the current rule, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their first drive, the game is over and the other team never gets a chance to possess the ball. This has led to some unfair results, as team’s have been able to win games without their opponents ever getting a chance to touch the ball in overtime.