What’s the NFL Overtime Rule?
Contents
Will your favorite team win in overtime? Check out our quick guide to the NFL overtime rules and find out.
Introduction
In the NFL, the overtime rules are simple: each team gets one possession. Whoever scores first wins. If neither team scores, or if both teams score field goals, it’s a tie game.
The one big exception to this rule is in the playoffs. In the playoffs, if the score is still tied at the end of overtime, the game goes into a sudden death format. This means that the first team to score wins, regardless of whether it’s a field goal or touchdown.
What is the NFL overtime rule?
In the NFL, the overtime rule is simple: each team gets one possession to score. The team that scores first wins the game. There are no extra points in overtime, so if a team scores a touchdown, they win, 7-6. If they score a field goal, they win, 10-7. The defense can also score in NFL overtime by returning a turnover for a touchdown. In that case, the game would end with the score 7-6 or 10-7 in favor of the defensive team, depending on whether they scored a touchdown or field goal.
The only exception to this rule is if the team that scores first goes for two points and fails to convert. In that case, the other team will get a chance to either tie the game with a touchdown and an extra point, or win it with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
How does the NFL overtime rule work?
In the NFL, if a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams play overtime to determine a winner.
Both teams have an opportunity to score in overtime, but if the team that starts on offense scores a touchdown, the game ends immediately and that team is declared the winner. If both teams score touchdowns in overtime, or if neither team scores, the game ends in a tie.
The NFL overtime rule has changed several times over the years, but it has been in its current form since 2012. Prior to 2012, if the team that started on offense scored a field goal on its first drive, the other team would then get a chance to either score a touchdown to win the game or tie it with a field goal of its own. If neither team scored, the game would end in a tie.
What are the benefits of the NFL overtime rule?
The benefits of the NFL overtime rule are that it is a fair way to determine a winner in a game where both teams are evenly matched, and it prevents the game from becoming a draw. The overtime rule also gives both teams an equal chance to score, and it ensures that the game will not end in a tie.
What are the criticisms of the NFL overtime rule?
The most common criticism of the NFL overtime rule is that it is unfair to teams that lose the coin toss. The team that wins the coin toss has a decided advantage, as they can choose to receive the ball or kick off to the other team. If they choose to receive the ball, they have a good chance of scoring a touchdown and winning the game without giving their opponents a chance to even touch the ball. This seems unjust, as both teams have battled hard for 60 minutes and deserve an equal chance to win in overtime.
Another criticism is that the rule does not encourage teams to play defense. If a team is ahead by 7 points or more, they will generally just try to run out the clock and not take any chances on defense. This can lead to boring games where one team is just trying to milk the clock and not give their opponents any opportunity to score.
Some people also argue that the current overtime rules favor teams with strong offenses and penalize teams with strong defenses. Because defense generally gets tired earlier in games, it is more likely that a team with a strong offense will be able to score in overtime when their defense is fresh. This means that teams with strong offenses have a significant advantage in overtime games.
Conclusion
In order to avoid these types of lengthy delays, the NFL came up with a new overtime format in which both teams are guaranteed to get at least one possession. If the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their opening drive, the game is over. However, if they kick a field goal, the other team gets a chance to either match or beat their score. If both teams score field goals, or if the team that loses the coin toss scores a touchdown, the game goes into sudden death overtime, meaning the first team to score wins.
