NFL playoffs overtime rules, explained: How tie games are decided compared to regular season, preseason

JUMP TO: 

• Can an NFL playoff game end in a tie?
• NFL overtime rules for playoff games
• NFL overtime rules for regular season
• NFL overtime rules for preseason
• History of NFL playoff overtime rules
• Longest NFL overtime games

Playoff football tends to be neck-and-neck. Sometimes, it even requires some extra time.

While no games in last year's NFL playoffs required overtime, it wasn't too long ago that the Super Bowl went an extra frame, when the Kansas City Chiefs took down the San Francisco 49ers to go back-to-back in February 2024 on a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime.

Given the nature of the postseason, NFL overtime rules are a bit different in the playoffs vs. The regular season. Most notably, the playoff rules prioritize giving both teams a chance to win, something that changed in recent years.

Here's everything to know about how the 2026 NFL playoff overtime rules work, and how they compare to the regular season and preseason.

MORE: Everything to know about the NFL's virtual measurement system

Can an NFL playoff game end in a tie?

No, an NFL playoff game cannot end in a tie. In the preseason and regular season, games can end in ties. However, with the league needing a team to move on to the next round of the playoffs, there is no possibility of a tie in the postseason.

Teams will play more overtime periods until a tie is broken in the playoffs.

MORE: How does NFL MVP voting work?

NFL overtime rules 2026

NFL overtime rules for playoff games

The NFL's newest overtime rules for playoff games were implemented in the 2023 postseason. The biggest change was largely in response to the 2022 AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Bills, guaranteeing that both teams would get a possession in overtime.

Here's how OT works for playoff games via the NFL rulebook:

• If the score is still tied at the end of an overtime period — or if the second team’s initial possession has not ended — the teams will play another overtime period. There can be no ties in the playoffs. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.
• There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period. There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period.
• The captain who lost the first overtime coin toss will either choose to possess the ball or select which goal his team will defend, unless the team that won the coin toss deferred that choice.
• Each team will have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.
• Each team gets three timeouts during a half.
• The same timing rules that apply at the end of the second and fourth regulation periods also apply at the end of a second or fourth overtime period.
• If there is still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until a winner is declared.

Regardless of whether the team who receives the opening overtime kickoff scores a touchdown, the other team is guaranteed a possession.  However, the game is over if a safety or defensive touchdown is scored. 

If the game is tied after both teams possess the ball once, then the next score wins.

MORE: Explaining how the NCAA OT format works and differences from NFL

NFL overtime rules for regular season

In comparison to the postseason, overtime in the NFL regular season is a bit different, mostly because games can end in ties.

Here are the official regular season overtime rules, via the NFL rulebook:

• At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss.
• No more than one 10-minute period will follow a three-minute intermission. Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball, rather than one team being able to win the game by scoring on its first overtime possession. The exception is if the team kicking off to start the overtime period scores a safety on the receiving team’s initial possession, then the team that kicked off is the winner.
• Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) — continues until a winner is determined after each team has had an opportunity to possess the ball.
• Each team gets two timeouts.
• The point after try is not attempted if the game ends on a touchdown.
• If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie.
• There are no instant replay coach’s challenges; all reviews will be initiated by the replay official.

MORE: Breaking down the NFL's newest kickoff rules

NFL overtime rules for preseason

The most straightforward NFL overtime rules come in the preseason: there is no overtime. With. Games not counting for much in the preseason, the league doesn't bother to try and break ties.

That change was made in 2021, prioritizing player health and safety in games that do not have any bearing on the standings. Players can be evaluated from the first through fourth quarters, and no extra periods are necessary.

MORE: Why does the NFL allow ties in the regular season?

History of NFL playoff overtime rules

A lot has changed since the first NFL game to go to overtime on Aug. 28, 1955, between the Rams and Giants. That game was played under “sudden death” rules, and the Rams won. From there, the overtime format was fully introduced.

The NFL moved forward with that model before implementing sudden-death overtime for regular-season games 16 years later. In the original format, the first team to score any points at all won the game. That included kicking a game-winning field goal. “Sudden death” remained the format for 35 years.

In 2010, the playoff overtime rules were tweaked. For teams that received the ball first, a field goal no longer counted as a game-ender in “sudden death.” Under the change, only a touchdown on the first possession of overtime could win the game in the playoffs. Otherwise, the other team would get a possession.

That format was added to the preseason and regular season in 2012.

The length of overtime was altered in 2017, decreasing from a full 15 minutes to just 10 minutes.

In 2021, overtime was removed from preseason games, with the NFL citing player safety to avoid unnecessary periods.

Most recently, the NFL changed the playoff overtime rules in 2022, assuring both teams would get at least one possession in overtime of a postseason game. Regardless of whether the first team scored a touchdown, the other team was given a shot to tie the game or come back to win it. If the score remained tied after each team had a possession, then “sudden death” began.

MORE: What is considered a catch in the NFL?

Longest NFL overtime games

Here are the six longest NFL games ever, all of which went deep into overtime. Because regular season games can end in ties, the longest overtime games all consist of playoff games.

All six of the games below required two overtime periods to decide a winner.

MORE: What is Scorigami in the NFL?