Overtime Rules in the NFL: How OT Works (2026)

Overtime in the NFL is a single 10-minute period in the regular season and 15-minute periods in the playoffs, and since the 2024 rule change both teams are guaranteed at least one possession even if the first team scores a touchdown. A regular-season game can still end in a tie if it is level after overtime; a playoff game keeps playing extra periods until a winner is decided.

How NFL overtime works, step by step

Overtime starts like the game itself. There is a coin toss, the winner almost always chooses to receive, and the teams line up for a kickoff. From there the modern rules run in two phases:

1. Guaranteed-possession phase. Each team gets at least one possession. If the first team scores a touchdown, the second team still gets the ball with a chance to match or win. If the first team kicks a field goal, the second team can win with a touchdown, tie with a field goal, or lose by failing to score.
2. Sudden-death phase. Once both teams have had the ball, the next score of any kind — touchdown, field goal, or a defensive safety — ends the game immediately.

A first down still moves the chains the same way it does in regulation; overtime changes how the game ends, not how it is played down to down.

Regular season vs. playoff overtime

The two formats share the guaranteed-possession rule but differ in length and finality. For a deeper look at the postseason format, see our full guide to NFL playoff overtime rules.

Rule	Regular season	Playoffs
Period length	One 10-minute period	15-minute periods
Both teams get the ball	Yes (since 2024)	Yes (since 2022)
Number of periods	One only	As many as needed
Can end in a tie	Yes	No — plays until a winner
Timeouts	Two per team	Three per team, resets each period

In the playoffs there is no clock pressure to force a tie, so the two-minute warning and end-of-period management matter far more than in a regular-season overtime that may simply run out.

The rule change that reshaped overtime

For years, regular-season overtime ran on modified sudden death: the team that received could win outright by scoring a touchdown on the opening drive. That is exactly what happened in the January 2022 Bills–Chiefs playoff game, when Kansas City won the toss, drove for a touchdown, and Buffalo’s offense never took the field. The backlash pushed the NFL to guarantee both teams a possession in the playoffs for the 2022 season, and owners extended the same rule to the regular season in 2024.

The change quietly lowered the value of winning the coin toss. When a first-possession touchdown no longer ends the game, deferring and playing defense first becomes a real strategic option, especially in the playoffs where the two-minute warning and possession count shape late-period decisions.

What still counts as sudden death

The phrase “sudden death” survives, but only for the second phase. Before both teams have had the ball, a single score by the first team may not end things. After that, any score wins — which is why a defense forcing a punt, a turnover, or even a safety can be as decisive as an offensive drive. Coaches manage timeouts and field position in overtime with that knife-edge in mind, since a single pass interference flag or a botched fair catch can hand the other team the winning position.

How NFL overtime compares to college

College football uses a completely different system: no clock, no kickoffs, each team starting at the opponent’s 25-yard line and trading possessions until one outscores the other, with two-point-conversion shootouts kicking in after the second overtime. The NFL’s timed, possession-guaranteed format is closer to regulation football, rewarding complete drives and defense rather than a red-zone duel. For more on the league itself, browse our NFL guides and explainers.