NFL postseason means new overtime rules. What to know if the Chiefs play down to the wire
As the NFL enters the postseason, Chiefs fans and rivals alike will tune in to the nail-biters, the heart-breakers and the glorious comebacks of the season.
Postseason games bring more intensity and some adjustment to the rules — including overtime.
Here’s how overtime works in the postseason, according to the NFL rulebook:
Overtime comes into play if both teams are tied by the end of the fourth quarter. After a three minute intermission (or less), an extra 15 minutes will be added to the clock — instead of the typical 10 minutes fans see in the regular season.
Each team gets three timeouts. Team captains will call a coin toss (as seen in the beginning of the game) and the captain who wins the toss will decide if they’d like to receive the ball or kick off.
Each team will have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once during the extra period — unless the team kicking off scores a safety on the receiving team’s possession. If this occurs, the team that kicked off is the winner.
After each team has the opportunity to possess the ball, if one team has more points than its opponent, that team wins.
If the team that possesses the ball first doesn’t score on its first possession, or if the score is tied after each team had its own opportunity to possess the ball, the next scoring team by any method will be the winner.
If the score is tied by the end of the 15 minutes, or if the second team’s possession hasn’t ended, another 15-minute period will begin and play will continue until someone wins. Teams will switch endzones after the first and third overtime period, and two-minute intermissions will occur between the 15 minutes.
Unlike regular season overtime, play will continue until one team scores. If the score is tied by the fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until one team wins.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 1:32 PM.
