Super Bowl Overtime Rules: How The Format Changes For The NFL Playoffs

Overtime in any sport is thrilling and the NFL is no different.

The 2023 postseason featured the debut of new NFL overtime rules. It ensures both teams receive at least one possession in any playoff game that goes to overtime.

Below, we will discuss the differences between the overtime rules for the regular season compared to the NFL playoffs.

Regular Season Overtime Rules

In the regular season, NFL games that are tied after four quarters go to a 10-minute overtime period. A coin toss determines which team receives the ball first.

Each team will have the opportunity to possess the ball unless the team that receives the ball first scores a touchdown on its opening possession. Sudden death play, where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal, or touchdown), continues until a winner is decided.

Here are some other details:

• Each team gets two timeouts
• The point after try is not attempted if the game ends on a TD
• If the score is tied at the end of the overtime period, the result is a tie
• No instant replay coach’s challenges. All reviews are by the replay official

Playoff Overtime Rules

A playoff game can not end in a tie.

Overtime rules in the playoffs consist of as many 15-minute quarters as necessary to determine a winner.

Both teams get at least one possession, even if the team that has the first possession scores a TD. If the team that gets the ball first does not score a TD or if the score is tied after each team has possessed the ball, the next score ends the game. 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 play another overtime period. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed to determine a winner.

If the team that possesses the ball first commits a safety on the initial possession, the kickoff team wins, and the game ends.

Other details to keep in mind:

• No coaches’ challenges in overtime. All replays are initiated by the replay official
• Each team gets three timeouts during a half (two overtime periods), as opposed to two timeouts during overtime in the regular season
• The intermission between the end of regular time and the first overtime period is no longer more than three minutes
• There’s a two-minute intermission between each overtime period, but no halftime intermission after the second
• At the beginning of the third overtime 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
• If there’s still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss