NFL overtime rules 2024: Explaining how the OT format works in football for regular season, playoffs

The NFL playoff field begins with 14 teams and just 13 games to determine this year's champion at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans. Not all of them will be decided in regulation.

Last year's Super Bowl came down to overtime with the Kansas City Chiefs winning 25-22 over the San Francisco 49ers. It was the first overtime postseason game since the 2022 AFC championship game.

There have been five overtime playoff games in the last five seasons. That track record means one postseason game could take more than 60 minutes to decide.

The 2024 season featured 16 games that required overtime, compared to 20 during the 2022 season. Since the NFL added an overtime period in 1974 to resolve regular season games that end regulation time with a tie score, 647 games (1974–2022) have been decided in overtime.

As with many NFL rules, the rules governing overtime have evolved over time.

The league installed a modified sudden-death overtime system to help determine a winner in a tie game for the 2010 postseason. Two seasons later, the league expanded those rules to cover all NFL games.

Here's what to know about the overtime rules in the NFL playoffs:

NFL Overtime Rules For Regular Season.

At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss.

No more than one 10-minute period will follow a three-minute intermission.

Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball.
The exception: if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession.

Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) — continues until a winner is determined.

Each team gets two timeouts.

The point after try is not attempted if the game ends on a touchdown.

If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie.

There are no instant replay coach’s challenges; all reviews will be initiated by the replay official.

NFL Playoff Overtime Rules; how does it work for Postseason games.

Unlike regular season games, postseason games cannot end in a tie, so the overtime rules change slightly for the playoffs.

If the score is still tied at the end of an overtime period — or if the second team’s initial possession has not ended — the teams will play another overtime period. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.

There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period. There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period.

The captain who lost the first overtime coin toss will either choose to possess the ball or select which goal his team will defend, unless the team that won the coin toss deferred that choice.

Each team will have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.

Each team gets three timeouts during a half.

The same timing rules that apply at the end of the second and fourth regulation periods also apply at the end of a second or fourth overtime period.

If there is still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until a winner is declared.

When was the first-ever Over-Time given in NFL History.?

The first overtime game in NFL history occurred on Aug. 28, 1955.

The Rams and Giants squared off using the sudden-death rules, which had been invented by game promoter Harry Glickman, to determine the game. The Rams won it, and the overtime format was adopted and eventually used during the 1958 NFL championship.

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