The basic format
Regular season overtime is a single 10-minute period. A coin toss decides who gets the ball first, and the game can end the moment either team scores, with one key exception.
If the team that receives the opening kickoff scores only a field goal on its first possession, the other team gets a chance to answer. The game ends immediately if the first team scores a touchdown, or if the second team fails to score at all after getting the ball.
Regular season vs. playoffs
The regular season and playoffs use different overtime formats.
- Regular season: One 10-minute period. If the score is still tied after it ends, the game is recorded as a tie.
- Playoffs: As many 15-minute periods as needed. Games cannot end in a tie, so overtime continues until a winner is decided.
Why the rule changed
Before 2012, the NFL used a pure sudden-death format where the first score of any kind ended the game. Coaches and fans argued this gave too much weight to the opening coin toss, since a team that won the toss and drove for a field goal could win without the other offense ever touching the ball. The current two-possession-minimum rule was adopted to reduce that advantage.
What happens on a safety
If the receiving team’s offense is tackled in its own end zone during its possession, that’s a safety, and it ends the game immediately in the other team’s favor, since a safety counts as a score just like a touchdown or field goal.
Regular season ties
Because the regular season allows a single overtime period, a small number of games each year end in a tie if neither team wins outright. Ties count as half a win and half a loss in the standings for both teams.