What Is The Overtime Rule In The NFL?

The Overtime Rule in the NFL can be a bit confusing. Here’s a quick and easy guide to help you understand it.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), the overtime rules are simple: each team gets one possession to score, and whichever team scores first wins the game. If neither team scores, or if both teams score touchdowns on their respective possessions, the game ends in a tie.

The overtime rules were implemented in 1974, and they have been modified several times since then. The most recent changes were made in 2012, when the league implemented a new rule that allows each team to possess the ball at least once in overtime if the game is still tied after the first possession.

Under the current rules, if the team that wins the coin toss chooses to receive the ball, they will have an opportunity to score a touchdown or field goal on their first possession. If they score a touchdown, they win the game. If they kick a field goal, the other team will then have a chance to score. If they score a touchdown on their second possession, they win the game. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals on their respective possessions, the game ends in a tie.

What is the overtime rule in the NFL?

Overtime in the NFL is a single, 10-minute period that follows the end of the fourth quarter. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game enters into overtime. Each team gets one possession to score, unless a touchdown is scored on the first drive, in which case the game immediately ends. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals, the overtime period ends in a tie.

How does the overtime rule work?

In the NFL, if the game is tied at the end of regulation, the team that wins the coin toss can choose to either kick off or receive the ball. If they choose to receive, the other team gets to decide which end of the field they want to defend. From there, each team gets one possession to score as many points as possible. If both teams are still tied at the end of overtime, then the game is declared a tie.

What are the benefits of the overtime rule?

Prior to the 2017 NFL season, the league’s overtime rules were simple: If the score was tied at the end of regulation, each team would get a chance to possess the ball once from their own 25-yard line. If neither team scored, or if both teams scored on their respective possessions, the game would end in a tie.

The problem with this system was that it didn’t give both teams an equal chance to win the game. The team that won the coin toss had a significant advantage, as they could score a touchdown on their first drive and then prevent the other team from ever touching the ball. In fact, prior to 2017, nearly 40 percent of games that went to overtime were decided by which team won the coin toss.

In order to make overtime more fair, and to ensure that both teams have a chance to possess the ball, the NFL implemented a new rule in 2017. Now, if the score is tied at the end of regulation, each team gets one possession from their own 25-yard line. If neither team scores on their first drive, or if both teams score field goals, then each team gets another possession from their opponent’s 25-yard line. This process repeats until one team has more points than the other at the end of an overtime period.

So far, this new overtime rule has been a success. In 2017, there were seven games that went to overtime, and all seven were decided by which team scored first on their second possession (or beyond). This means that neither team had an advantage at any point during overtime, and that each game was decided by who performed better on the field rather than by who won a coin toss.

What are the drawbacks of the overtime rule?

The main drawback of the NFL overtime rule is that it gives teams an incentive to lose in order to get the ball first in OT. In addition, the rule can result in unfairness when one team dominates play but fails to score enough points to win in regulation.

Conclusion

In the NFL, each half of play is 15 minutes long, with a 12-minute intermission between halves. If the game is tied at the end of Regulation, then overtime periods of 15 minutes each are played until one team scores. The sudden death nature of overtime means that both teams have an equal chance to score, with the first team to do so winning the game.