Few things in football leave fans scratching their heads quite like the scoreboard reading 24-24 after overtime. While most sports insist on a winner, the NFL allows regular-season games to end in a tie if neither team scores in the extra period.

Understanding why a tie can stand, how it is recorded, and what it means for playoff hopes is easier once you break down the league’s overtime format and standings math. Let’s look at what really happens when 60 minutes, plus overtime, still isn’t enough to separate two teams.

The Regular Season Overtime Format

Since 2017, NFL regular-season overtime has been a single 10-minute period that begins with a coin toss and plays under modified sudden-death rules. The team that receives the kick can win immediately by scoring a touchdown on the opening drive, but if that drive ends in a field goal or no points, the opponent gets a possession to respond.

Play continues until either team scores or the clock hits zero. Standard game timing applies, including two timeouts per team and a two-minute warning. If replay reviews or penalties extend a down, the clock is adjusted just as it would be in regulation.

When the Clock Strikes 0:00

If the extra 10 minutes expire with the score still level, the contest is officially declared a tie. No additional periods are played, and both clubs head to the locker room with an unsatisfying but final result.

Because the league shortened overtime from 15 to 10 minutes to address player safety, ties have become slightly more common. Coaches must balance aggression with risk, knowing every possession is precious.

How a Tie Counts in the Standings

In the NFL standings a tie is recorded as half a win and half a loss. A team that finishes 9-7-1, for example, owns a winning percentage of .559, placing it ahead of a 9-8 club (.529) but behind a team that is 10-7 (.588).

Because tiebreakers for playoff spots start with winning percentage, that extra half-win can be decisive. In 2020 the Eagles’ 4-11-1 record slotted them ahead of the 4-12 Falcons in draft order, while the 2013 Packers clinched their division at 8-7-1 when the Bears finished 8-8.

Why Playoff Games Can’t End in a Tie

The postseason follows a different script. When playoff games are tied after the first overtime, teams simply keep playing additional 15-minute periods until someone scores. There is no limit to the number of overtimes, and all breaks between periods are two minutes long except for a potential halftime after the second.

The sudden-death element still applies once both teams have possessed the ball, but the game must produce a winner to advance in the bracket.

How Often Do Ties Actually Happen?

Ties remain rare. From the league’s introduction of overtime in 1974 through the 2023 season, only 30 regular-season games ended without a winner, averaging roughly one tie every two years.

Rule tweaks have shifted that frequency. Four ties occurred between 2018 and 2022, partially due to the shorter overtime window, while several seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s produced zero.

Strategy Shifts in a Shorter Overtime

With only 10 minutes instead of 15, coaches often tighten decision making. Going for it on fourth down or calling hurry up offense is more common, because each team may get only one full possession.

Defenses likewise take more risks, dialing up blitzes to force a turnover that could immediately set up the game winning score. The compressed window changes the chess match on both sidelines.

Conclusion

While fans might prefer definitive endings, the NFL’s approach balances player safety against the desire for a clear victor. In the regular season a single 10-minute overtime forces teams to be bold, yet still leaves the door open for a draw.

Knowing how that half-win, half-loss slot fits into the standings can help explain late-season scenarios and why coaches sometimes play for the tie rather than risk a damaging defeat.