NFL Overtime Rules Unified for 2025 Season, Guaranteeing Both Teams a Possession
January 18, 2026 – The National Football League has completed a significant overhaul of its overtime procedures, aligning the rules for the regular season and playoffs starting with the 2025 campaign. The most consequential change ensures both teams are guaranteed at least one offensive possession in nearly all overtime scenarios, a move designed to promote fairness and reduce the disproportionate advantage previously given to the team winning the coin toss.
The 2025 Reform – What Changed?
The league’s owners approved a modification to regular-season overtime rules in April 2025, effectively adopting the postseason format that had been in place since 2022. The core principle is now consistent across all games: each team must have the opportunity to possess the ball. This remains true even if the team receiving the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on its first drive. The only exception that can end a game on the first possession is a defensive score—such as an interception returned for a touchdown (a “pick-six”) or a safety.
The reform was largely driven by high-profile playoff games, notably the 2021 AFC Divisional Round where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills without Buffalo’s offence taking the field in overtime. The rule was first tested in Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, a game that highlighted the new strategic dilemmas coaches now face.
Regular Season vs. Postseason Overtime
While the guarantee of a possession is now universal, key operational differences remain between the regular season and the playoffs, primarily due to the impossibility of a tie in postseason play.
| Rule Aspect | Regular Season | Postseason (Playoffs & Super Bowl) |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime Period Length | One 10-minute period. | 15-minute periods, continuing as necessary. |
| Final Result | Game ends in a tie if score is level after 10 minutes. | Play continues through unlimited periods until a winner is determined. |
| Timeouts | Two timeouts per team. | Three timeouts per half (two overtime periods). |
| Game Flow | If the first team uses the entire 10 minutes on its opening drive, the game ends. | If the second team’s initial possession is ongoing when the period ends, play continues into a new period. |
| Coin Toss in Subsequent Periods | Not applicable (no multiple periods). | A new coin toss occurs after every fourth overtime period. |
The Strategy Shift – Coin Toss Decisions
With the new guarantee of a possession, the decision following an overtime coin toss has become a complex strategic calculation, moving beyond the automatic choice to receive the ball. A survey of NFL analytics staffers revealed a near-even split on whether to take the first or second possession.
Arguments for taking the ball first: The first-possession team receives the ball again in any potential third possession, creating a sudden-death scenario if the first two drives end tied. They can also strategically drain the clock on a long opening drive.
Arguments for taking the ball second: The second-possession team plays with full information. If the first team scores a touchdown, they know they must match it and can optimize fourth-down decisions. If the first team fails to score, they know a field goal can win the game.
Factors influencing the decision now include the relative strength of each team’s offence and defence, weather conditions, and the specific value of a tie in the regular-season standings.
A Brief History of NFL Overtime
The league’s overtime rules have evolved significantly over decades:
- 1974: Sudden-death overtime introduced for regular-season games.
- 2010: “Modified sudden death” adopted for playoffs: a first-possession field goal no longer ended the game; the opponent got a chance to respond.
- 2012: The 2010 modified rules expanded to the regular season.
- 2017: Regular-season overtime shortened from 15 to 10 minutes for player safety.
- 2022: Postseason rules changed to guarantee both teams a possession, even after a first-possession touchdown.
- 2025: The 2022 postseason rule extended to the regular season, fully unifying the overtime format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an NFL regular-season game still end in a tie?
Yes. If the 10-minute overtime period expires with the score still tied, the game is recorded as a tie. In the standings, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.
What is the fastest way an overtime game can end?
If the defence scores a touchdown or records a safety on the very first possession of overtime, the game ends immediately. This is the only scenario under the new rules where both teams are not guaranteed an offensive series.
How do the NFL’s overtime rules differ from college football?
The systems are fundamentally different. College football uses a “Kansas Playoff” format where each team starts a possession from the opponent’s 25-yard line, with no game clock. Ties are not allowed, and teams must attempt two-point conversions starting in the second overtime. The NFL uses a timed period with a traditional kickoff to start play.
Why was the 10-minute regular-season overtime period introduced?
The change from 15 to 10 minutes was made in 2017 primarily to improve player safety by reducing the number of plays in an already gruelling season, and to lessen fatigue for teams with short turnarounds.