The score’s tied, the clock’s winding down in the fourth quarter, and both teams are out of timeouts. What now? Time for some free football! But victory’s still up for grabs, and how the extra time unfolds depends on whether it’s the regular season or the postseason. NFL overtime rules, especially in 2024, can be tricky, and teams need to dig deep—physically and mentally.
The rules are strict, and overtime games can be draining. Still, they bring a thrilling experience for fans. As Sunday Night Football heats up again on NBC and Peacock, we’re bound to see more close matchups. So, how do the OT rules play out? Let’s break them down and dive into the differences between regular season and playoff overtime.
What Happens in Overtime During the Regular Season Of 2024?
When a regular-season game ends in a tie after four quarters, overtime kicks in. First, the team captains and a referee gather for a coin toss to decide which team starts with possession. The visiting team captain calls the coin, and whoever wins chooses between taking the ball or selecting which side of the field to defend. Most teams opt for possession since having the ball first gives them a better chance to win.
After the coin toss, there’s a short three-minute break before overtime begins. The OT period lasts 10 minutes, and the main rule here is that each team must get the opportunity to play offense—except when the first team scores a touchdown on its opening drive. In that case, the game ends immediately, and the opposing team doesn’t even get to step on the field.
However, if the first team doesn’t manage a touchdown (perhaps they kick a field goal, punt, or turn over the ball), the other team gets their shot to win or tie the game. If both teams have had possession and the score remains tied, the game shifts into sudden death. From that point, any score—a touchdown, field goal, or even a safety—will end the game.
There’s also an unusual scenario where the game can end without either team scoring a touchdown. If the kicking team starts overtime and forces a safety on the opponent’s first possession, the game ends with the kicking team as the winner.
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During overtime, teams get two timeouts each. Any unused timeouts from regulation don’t carry over, and there are no coach-initiated challenges during OT. The replay official automatically handles any reviews. The game ends in a tie if the score remains tied after 10 minutes. Although ties are rare, the 2023 season was the first since 2017 without a tied game.
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How Does Overtime Work in the Postseason Of 2024?
Postseason overtime operates under different rules, as games in the playoffs can’t end in a tie. Instead, the overtime period extends to 15 minutes. Both teams will get at least one offensive possession unless the team kicking off forces a safety on the opponent’s first drive, immediately ending the game.
After both teams have had a chance to play offense, the one with the most points wins. If the score remains tied after this, the game continues into another overtime period, and the first team to score by any method wins. Or, if the second team is still on its initial drive when the first OT period ends, the game continues until that drive concludes.
If the game enters a third overtime period, the captain who lost the original coin toss gets the chance to choose whether his team will take possession or pick the side of the field to defend. This rotation ensures fairness as the game stretches longer.
If, somehow, the teams are still tied after four overtime periods, there’s another coin toss, and the teams keep playing until someone finally scores. In playoff overtime, each team gets three timeouts for every two OT periods, as opposed to the two timeouts allowed in the regular season. These rules guarantee that a winner will emerge, no matter how long it takes.
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History of NFL Overtime
The NFL first introduced sudden-death overtime for divisional tiebreak games in 1940, and the format was extended to championship games in 1946. This rule was first tested in the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants, a contest that’s now legendary as the “Greatest Game Ever Played.”
In 1974, the NFL adopted sudden-death overtime for regular and preseason games, adding one extra period if the game was tied after regulation. Initially, this period lasted 15 minutes, but in 2017, the league shortened it to 10 minutes for regular season games. The overtime period in preseason games was eliminated in 2021, while playoff games still use the full 15-minute period.
Overtime rules have undergone several changes since the 1970s. In 2010, the NFL owners voted to amend the overtime rules for the postseason, ensuring that a field goal on the first possession would no longer automatically end the game. This adjustment came after several postseason games ended without the second team getting a chance to possess the ball. By 2012, the rule extended to regular-season games.
The NFL’s first overtime Super Bowl occurred in 2017. The New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28. They scored a touchdown on their first possession of OT. In 2022, the NFL updated playoff overtime rules. Now, both teams get possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown. However, in Super Bowl LVIII, this rule didn’t apply. The 49ers kicked a field goal so that the Chiefs would have received possession under old rules.
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