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How does NFL overtime work? Your refresher on OT rules ahead of Super Bowl 59

jacob camenker, usa today
·3-min read

The NFL has tweaked its overtime rules often during the 21st century. That, coupled with the infrequency of games requiring an extra period to be decided, sometimes makes it hard for fans to keep track of the league's overtime rules.

That's especially true in the postseason, during which overtime rules are slightly different than in the regular season. Those tweaked rules are in place for the Super Bowl, so both Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles fans will want a refresher about how overtime works ahead of their matchup in Super Bowl 59.

Here's what to know about the NFL's overtime rules and the history of OT in the Super Bowl.

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How does NFL overtime work?

The NFL's overtime rules are slightly different in the playoffs than they are in the regular season, as postseason games cannot end in a tie.

Notably, each team is guaranteed a possession in overtime even if the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown. Additionally, overtime periods are 15 minutes long instead of the single, 10-minute period during the regular season.

Below is a look at the full overtime rules for Super Bowl 59:

NFL overtime rules for the Super Bowl

  • Each overtime period is 15 minutes long.

    • Overtime lasts 10 minutes in the regular season.

  • A second overtime period will be added if the score is tied after 15 minutes – or if the team that got the ball second has not yet completed its initial offensive drive.

  • Each team gets three timeouts per half (two overtime periods).

  • Each team is guaranteed a possession. The game will not automatically end if the first team scores a touchdown as it does in the regular season.

    • The only exception is if the team that begins overtime with the ball commits a safety. In that case, the kickoff team wins the game, just as it does during the regular season.

    • If the score remains tied after each team gets a possession, the next score will win.

  • Extra points are not attempted if the game ends in a touchdown.

  • There are no coach's challenges. All replays are initiated by the replay official.

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Has the Super Bowl ever gone to overtime?

Yes, the Super Bowl has gone to overtime twice in its history. The results of those overtime games are as follows:

The Patriots won the first overtime Super Bowl after making a 28-3 second-half comeback against the Falcons. New England's win came amid the old overtime rules, when the game automatically ended if the first team to possess the ball scored a touchdown. James White punched in a 2-yard touchdown – his third of the day – to help Tom Brady win his then-record fifth Super Bowl.

The Chiefs became the first team to win an overtime Super Bowl under the NFL's new rules that guarantee both teams a possession. They held the 49ers to a field goal to start the overtime period before Patrick Mahomes led a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime.

The Chiefs would have been allowed to keep their drive going had the first overtime expired, as the possession was Kansas City's first of the extra period. Thus, Super Bowl 58 was nearly the first to go to double overtime.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How does NFL overtime work? OT refresher ahead of Super Bowl 59