The NFL is considering changing the overtime rules again in the regular season after shortening the period to just 10 minutes in 2017.
The current system gives an advantage to teams who win the toss, and the NFL’s competition committee has acknowledged its shortcomings.
NFL Considering Changes in Overtime Rules
After initially having 15 minutes in overtime, the NFL changed the period’s length in 2017 to just 10 minutes.
If the team that receives the ball first scores a TD on their opening drive, the game automatically ends, and the scoring team wins. The point-after try is not attempted, and the score remains as is and becomes final.o
The rule has sparked controversy because the team that begins with the ball is decided by the flip of a coin. Simply, if the team that wins the coin flip scores a touchdown first, the loser never even gets a chance to possess the ball.
Teams receiving the ball first have won 56.8% of games in overtime from 2017 to 2024, and the league has now started to acknowledge the shortcomings of the current system.
“It’s time to rethink the overtime rule,” league executive Troy Vincent said Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine.
NFL is moving closer to making overtime rules the same in regular season as the playoffs. League executive Troy Vincent said “it’s time to rethink the overtime rule” and the Competition Committee agrees it needs to be addressed. Receiving the ball in OT has become more of an…
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 26, 2025
While the team that receives the ball in regular-season overtime can win the game outright, that’s not the case in playoffs. Why? The Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs 2021 playoff thriller ended without the Bills touching the football.
That ending left many fans feeling unfulfilled, and the NFL adopted a change to their playoff overtime policy as a result.
Now, both teams are guaranteed an opportunity to touch the ball before a winner is declared during the overtime period in the playoffs. The winner of the coin toss typically decides to receive the ball first; if they score a touchdown, the other team is allowed a chance to do the same. If they don’t score, then the game is over.
If the winner of the coin toss kicks a field goal, the other team can win by scoring a touchdown on the following possession. Once both teams have touched the ball the next score wins. This means that even if a team kicks a field goal, they are the winners.
The new rules do, however, open the possibility that a team may opt not to receive the ball first. If they are guaranteed to get the ball, they could choose to wait and see what the other team does — whether they score a touchdown, kick a field goal, or don’t score at all. Then, they would be able to go forward knowing what they need to do to win or stay alive.
Nonetheless, it’s a welcome step from the NFL to address the issues in the regular season overtime rules, and using the postseason system with minor changes could be a good option.