For the 2026 NFL season, both teams get at least one chance to possess the ball in overtime, in the regular season and the playoffs alike. A regular-season overtime is one 10-minute period, and the game can end in a tie. A playoff overtime uses 15-minute periods and keeps going until someone wins.
The league made the two formats match in 2025, and the owners did not touch overtime when they voted on the 2026 rule changes. So the rules below are the ones printed in Rule 16 of the 2026 NFL rulebook.
How NFL overtime works, step by step
The sequence is the same every time the score is level after four quarters.
- Coin toss. Right after regulation ends, the referee tosses a coin at midfield. The visiting captain calls it, just as before kickoff.
- The winner picks. The team that wins the toss chooses to receive or kick, or chooses which goal to defend. The other team gets the remaining option.
- Short break. Play resumes after an intermission of no more than three minutes.
- Both teams get the ball. The receiving team drives first. Then the other team gets its own possession, no matter what happened on the first drive.
- Compare the score. If one team leads after both possessions, it wins.
- Sudden death. If the score is still tied, the next team to score by any method wins.
A “possession” here starts with a kick. The opening kickoff counts as the receiving team’s chance, even if it fumbles right away. If the kicking team recovers an onside kick, the receivers are still treated as having had their opportunity.
Regular season vs playoffs: the comparison
The core idea is shared, but the clock and the ending are different. Here is how the two formats line up for 2026.
| Rule | Regular season (2026) | Playoffs (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Length of period | One 10-minute period | 15-minute periods, as many as needed |
| Both teams guaranteed a possession | Yes, if time allows | Yes |
| Can the game end in a tie | Yes | No |
| Timeouts | Two per team | Three per team per half |
| Coach’s challenges | None; replay official starts reviews | None; replay official starts reviews |
| Break before overtime | Up to 3 minutes | Up to 3 minutes, then 2 minutes between periods |
| Safety on the first possession | Kicking team wins | Kicking team wins |
What happens if the first team scores a touchdown
The game does not end. That is the biggest change of recent years. Before 2022 in the playoffs, and before 2025 in the regular season, a touchdown on the opening drive won the game on the spot.
Now the second team gets the ball back and has three basic outcomes to aim for:
- It fails to score. The first team wins.
- It scores a touchdown and ties. The game moves to sudden death, and the next score wins.
- It scores a touchdown and goes ahead. For example, it can attempt a two-point conversion after its touchdown to win by one point.
The same logic applies to a field goal. If the first team kicks a field goal, the second team can answer with its own field goal to keep playing, or with a touchdown to win.
There is one more detail fans often miss. If the second team throws an interception or loses a fumble on its first drive, the play still runs to the end. So a defender who returns that turnover for a touchdown adds those points to the final score.
Safeties, timeouts and replay in overtime
Safeties
A safety is the one exception to the “both teams get the ball” rule. If the kicking team tackles the receivers in their own end zone on that very first possession, the kicking team wins right away. After the opening possession, a safety is just another score under the normal sequence.
Timeouts
In the regular season, each team gets two timeouts for the 10-minute period. In the playoffs, teams get three per half, and two overtime periods make up one half. The usual fourth-quarter timing rules also apply in regular-season overtime.
Challenges and replay
Coaches cannot throw the red flag in overtime. Instead, the replay official in the booth starts every review. Also, a player who was ejected earlier in the game cannot come back for the extra period.
Can an NFL game end in a tie?
Yes, but only in the regular season. If the score is still level when the 10 minutes run out, the game goes into the books as a tie. In the standings, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss when the league works out winning percentage.
The 10-minute cap also cuts the other way. Suppose the first team takes a long drive and scores with almost no time left. If the clock expires before the second team’s drive ends, there is no extra time. The team with more points wins, and if the score is level, it is a tie.
Playoff games cannot end that way. If the score is tied after a 15-minute period, or if the second team’s first drive is still going, another period starts. Teams switch ends after the first and third periods. After a fourth overtime period, the referee tosses the coin again, and play continues until there is a winner.
A short history of NFL overtime
Pure sudden death ruled regular-season games from 1974, and the first score of any kind ended the game. That made the coin toss feel too important to many coaches and fans, so the league changed it in stages.
- 2010: The playoffs moved to “modified sudden death.” A field goal on the first drive no longer ended the game, but a touchdown still did.
- 2012: Owners extended the playoff format to the regular season.
- 2017: Regular-season overtime was cut from 15 minutes to 10, mainly for player safety.
- 2022: After Kansas City beat Buffalo 42-36 in the January 2022 divisional round, with the Bills never touching the ball in overtime, owners guaranteed both teams a playoff possession.
- 2025: Clubs applied that guarantee to the regular season too, while keeping the 10-minute limit.
The way fans watch has changed alongside the rules. In 2017, the same season overtime got shorter, Thursday Night Football and ESPN’s Monday Night Football even aired virtual reality ads during their broadcasts.
The league explains these changes on its official overtime rules page. Proposals come up at the owners’ meetings each spring, so the format can change again in a future season.
How college overtime is different
College football uses a separate system with no game clock in overtime. According to the NCAA’s own explainer, each team gets one possession starting at the opponent’s 25-yard line. From the second overtime on, a team that scores a touchdown must go for two points. From the third overtime, teams stop running drives and instead trade two-point attempts until one side comes out ahead.
So there are no ties in college games and no kickoffs in overtime. If you watch both levels on the same weekend, that is why the endings feel so different.
For more explainers on rules, fitness and the games people follow, see our health and sports guides.
Frequently asked questions
Do both teams get the ball in NFL overtime in the regular season?
Yes. Since 2025, both teams get a chance to possess the ball in regular-season overtime, the same as in the playoffs. The only limits are a safety on the opening drive and the 10-minute clock.
How long is overtime in the NFL?
For the 2026 regular season, overtime is a single 10-minute period. In the playoffs, each period is 15 minutes, and the league keeps adding periods until there is a winner.
Is NFL overtime still sudden death?
Only after both teams have had the ball. If the score is still tied at that point, the next score of any kind wins the game.
How many timeouts does each team get in overtime?
Two per team in the regular season. In the playoffs, each team gets three timeouts per half, with two overtime periods counting as one half.
Can coaches challenge a call in overtime?
No. In overtime, the replay official starts all reviews, and coaches cannot use challenge flags.
