There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period. There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period.Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined. 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.Unlike regular season games, postseason games cannot end in a tie, so the overtime rules change slightly for the playoffs. There are no instant replay coach’s challenges all reviews will be initiated by the replay official.If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie.The point after try is not attempted if the game ends on a touchdown.Sudden death play - where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) - continues until a winner is determined.The exception: if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession. Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball. No more than one 10-minute period will follow a three-minute intermission.The visiting team captain will call the toss. At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime.The rule change is aimed at improving player safety. In 2017, NFL owners approved shortening overtime in the regular season to 10 minutes from 15. The current rules give both teams the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in overtime unless the team that receives the overtime kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession. Two seasons later, the league expanded those rules to cover all NFL games. The league installed a modified sudden-death overtime system to help determine a winner in a tie game for the 2010 postseason. Learn the rules of the game in the searchable 2021 NFL Rulebook. Since the NFL added an overtime period in 1974 to resolve regular season games that end regulation time with a tie score, 574 regular season games have been decided in overtime.Īs with many NFL rules, the rules governing overtime have evolved over time.