NFL Clarifies Overtime Rules for 2026 Regular Season Games

The NFL is using its 2026 regular-season overtime format for games that remain tied after regulation, including the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens Week 5 matchup. The league allows a 10-minute extra period, two timeouts per team, and a shared possession opportunity. According to USA Today, the Falcons and Ravens reached overtime after Baltimore scored late in regulation to tie the game 23-23.

Tyler Huntley threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Devontez Walker, followed by Derrick Henry’s successful 2-point conversion, before Atlanta failed to score on its next possession. The overtime structure in 2026 remains the same as the rules used in 2025 and the postseason format adopted since 2022, according to USA Today and Heavy. A coin toss determines which team chooses to receive the opening kickoff or defend a selected goal.

Under the current rules, both teams normally get a chance to possess the ball in overtime. According to Heavy, the only exception is when the team that kicked off scores a safety on the receiving team’s first possession.

After each team has completed its initial possession, the team with the higher score wins, according to USA Today. If the score remains tied after both possessions, the next score decides the game, provided the 10-minute overtime period has not expired. Each team receives two timeouts during regular-season overtime, while replay reviews are initiated by the booth rather than through coach challenges, according to USA Today and Heavy. The overtime period ends after 10 minutes if neither team has taken the lead.

Regular-season games can finish as ties when the score remains even after overtime, according to AS USA. The NFL records a tie as half a win and half a loss when calculating team standings. The 2026 season already produced a tie when the New York Giants and Washington Commanders finished level in Week 5, according to USA Today, Heavy, and AS USA. The result followed a late sequence in which Washington did not stop the clock while in field-goal range.

The NFL postseason uses different overtime rules because playoff games must produce a winner, according to AS USA. Playoff overtime periods continue until one team finishes ahead, unlike the regular-season limit of one 10-minute overtime period. According to AS USA, no NFL postseason game has reached a third overtime period. The longest playoff overtime game remains the 1971 AFC divisional matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, which ended after 82 minutes and 40 seconds with Miami winning.