In a significant shift that levels the playing field, league owners have approved a rule change proposed by the Philadelphia Eagles to give both teams a guaranteed possession in regular-season overtime — finally aligning it with the playoff format.
NFL Owners Align Regular Season, Playoff Overtime Rules
The NFL officially implemented overtime for the 1974 season. One 15-minute sudden-death period was used to decide a winner, with games ending in a tie if neither team scored. That format held until the 2010 postseason, when a “modified sudden death” setup was introduced.
That change allowed both teams to possess the ball — unless the first possession ended in a touchdown. The league adopted this format for regular-season games starting in 2012. In 2017, regular-season overtime periods were shortened to 10 minutes, while playoff overtimes remained at 15 minutes and continued until a winner was decided.
The 2021 divisional round gave way to the latest version of overtime. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs played one of the most memorable playoff games ever, with the Chiefs kicking a last-second field goal to tie it at 36.
That field goal capped off a wild fourth quarter, where 25 points were scored in the final two minutes. Josh Allen hit Gabe Davis for a go-ahead 19-yard touchdown with just 13 seconds left — but he never got the ball again.
Kansas City won the overtime coin toss, and Patrick Mahomes was perfect on the game-winning drive, hitting Travis Kelce for an eight-yard touchdown. The NFL responded to that game by tweaking playoff overtime rules to guarantee both teams a possession.
Now, league owners have taken it further, aligning regular and postseason overtime rules. They approved Philadelphia’s proposal at the annual league meeting. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the change.
NFL owners now have passed a rule that both teams will be allowed to possess the ball in overtime in the regular season.
The original proposal was for a 15 minute OT; that now has been amended to 10 minutes.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
Schefter tweeted, “NFL owners now have passed a rule that both teams will be allowed to possess the ball in overtime in the regular season. The original proposal was for a 15 minute OT; that now has been amended to 10 minutes.”
The NFL insider noted that regular-season overtime will still be 10 minutes long. He didn’t say whether games will continue beyond the first 10-minute period or still end in a tie.
The most memorable double-overtime game remains Super Bowl 58 between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. It was also the first game to require a second extra period since the 2022 rule change. The 49ers kicked a field goal on their opening possession, and Kansas City answered with a methodical touchdown drive that stretched beyond the first overtime.
The league has cited player safety for keeping overtime at 10 minutes. While guaranteed possessions might make games longer, they should help deliver a more definitive result.
