NFL Overtime Rules, Explained
Updated November 9, 2026. Rules are based on the 2026 NFL rulebook.
If an NFL game is tied after four quarters, it goes to overtime. The big thing to know is that a touchdown on the first drive no longer ends the game. Since 2025, both teams are guaranteed a chance with the ball in the regular season as well as the playoffs.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|
| Length of period | One 10-minute period | 15-minute periods, as many as needed |
| Can it end in a tie? | Yes | No |
| Both teams get the ball? | Yes, if time allows | Yes |
| Timeouts | Two per team | Three per team, per half |
How overtime starts
The referee holds a new coin toss at midfield, and the visiting captain calls it. There is a short break of no more than three minutes, and then the game restarts with a kickoff.
The possession rule
Both teams must have an opportunity to possess the ball, with one exception. If the team that kicked off scores a safety on the other team's first possession, it wins on the spot.
Once both teams have had their chance, it works like this:
- If one team is ahead, that team wins.
- If the score is still tied, the next score of any kind wins.
- If the team that got the ball first does not score, the next score of any kind also wins.
Three common scenarios
The first team scores a touchdown. The game continues. The second team gets the ball and must at least match it. If it answers with a touchdown, its coach then faces a choice: kick the extra point to keep going, or try a two-point conversion to win immediately.
The first team kicks a field goal. The second team gets the ball. A touchdown wins the game for it. A field goal ties the score, and then the next score wins. If it fails to score at all, the first team wins.
The first team fails to score. The second team gets the ball, and any score wins it.
How ties happen
A regular-season overtime lasts one 10-minute period and no more, even if the second team has not had its turn or is in the middle of its drive. If the score is level when the time runs out, the game goes in the books as a tie. Ties are uncommon, but they do happen: the 2026 season has already had one.
In the standings, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss when the league calculates a team's winning percentage.
How it differs in the playoffs
A playoff game has to produce a winner, so play continues for as many 15-minute periods as it takes. There is a two-minute break between periods. If the second team's guaranteed possession is still going when a period ends, it carries over into the next period. After a fourth overtime period, there is another coin toss.
Why teams might choose to kick first
The coin toss winner usually takes the ball, but kicking first has a real logic now. The team that receives second knows exactly what it needs. If the first team scored a touchdown, the second team knows that it must use all four downs, and it can plan a two-point try to end the game. Coaches continue to disagree about which choice is better, which makes the toss one of the more interesting decisions of the game.
You can find this season's overtime games by looking for "Final/OT" on any week's results.