{"id":8758,"date":"2026-08-03T13:48:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T17:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?page_id=8758"},"modified":"2026-11-05T11:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T16:14:17","slug":"how-the-nfl-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/how-the-nfl-works\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL overtime rules and how the game is played"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of what ranks for NFL rules is a dated news article written for the last rule change and left to rot. This page is the evergreen version, written for Canadian fans and bettors: how overtime actually works since the 2025 change, what a down is, how the scoring produces the numbers bettors care about, and where the NFL stops resembling the CFL. Rules knowledge is settlement knowledge. Every market you bet settles on what follows. 19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFL overtime rules, current as of the 2026 season<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Overtime is where most fans’ rule knowledge is stale, because the NFL rewrote it in the 2025 offseason. The old version let a touchdown on the opening drive end the game before the other team touched the ball. Not anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule<\/th>Regular season<\/th>Playoffs<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Length of a period<\/td>10 minutes<\/td>15 minutes<\/td><\/tr>
How many periods<\/td>One, and only one<\/td>As many as it takes<\/td><\/tr>
Both teams guaranteed the ball<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Can end before both possess<\/td>Only on a defensive score<\/td>Only on a defensive score<\/td><\/tr>
After both have possessed<\/td>Next score wins<\/td>Next score wins<\/td><\/tr>
Can end in a tie<\/td>Yes<\/td>Never<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
NFL overtime rules as they stand for the 2026 season, after the 2025 rewrite.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Regular season overtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a game is level after 60 minutes, the teams play one overtime period of 10 minutes. Both teams are now guaranteed a possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown; the only thing that ends it early is the defence scoring on that opening drive. After both teams have had the ball, the next score wins. And if nothing separates them when the 10 minutes run out, the game ends as a tie. Ties are rare, a couple per season at most, but they are real, and they matter to bettors for reasons covered below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playoff overtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The postseason<\/a> works differently, because someone has to win. Periods run 15 minutes and keep coming until there is a winner. Both teams are guaranteed a possession, and after that it is next score wins, however long it takes. No ties, ever. The longest playoff games in history have needed double overtime and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who gets the ball first<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A coin toss decides it, the same as at kickoff, and the winner chooses whether to take the ball or hand it over. That choice used to be simple: you took the ball, because a touchdown ended the game on the spot. Now that both teams are guaranteed a possession, it is a genuine decision rather than a formality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The argument for taking it second is information. The team going second knows exactly what it needs: match a field goal, or score a touchdown to win outright rather than settling for three. The team going first has to guess whether three points will hold up. None of that is a rule, it is just the reasoning the rule change created, and you will see coaches split on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One warning for Canadian viewers. CFL overtime is a different animal entirely<\/strong>, built around alternating possessions from scrimmage rather than a timed period with a kickoff. If your football instincts come from the Canadian game, do not carry them into an NFL overtime; almost none of it transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What overtime means for your bets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Three settlement rules cover almost everything. Moneyline, point spread and totals bets all include overtime unless a market is explicitly labelled regulation time. A two-way moneyline that ends in a tie is refunded at most books. And overtime points count toward the total, which is why a game sneaking into overtime is quietly one of the best things that can happen to an over bettor. If you bet totals, our over\/under guide<\/a> covers the mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs: the engine of the whole game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everything in football runs on one loop. The offence gets four downs, which are simply attempts, to move the ball ten yards. Gain the ten and the count resets to first down. Come up short and the other team takes over where the ball died, which is why teams punt on fourth down: better to surrender the ball forty yards downfield than hand it over where you stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That fourth-down decision is the game’s core tension. Going for it, kicking a field goal, or punting is a live strategic choice, and the analytics era has made coaches steadily bolder about going for it. When you hear that a team faces 4th and 2 at the 35, that is the whole situation in five words: fourth attempt, two yards needed, 35 yards from the end zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the scoring works, and why bettors memorize it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A touchdown is worth six points, and then the scoring team chooses: kick the convert for one, or run a single play from the two-yard line for two. A field goal is three. A safety, where the ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone, scores two for the defence and is the rarest event on the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those values are why the numbers 3 and 7 dominate NFL betting. Games are decided by a field goal or a touchdown-plus-convert more than by any other margin, so final margins pile up on exactly those numbers. A point spread crossing 3 or 7 changes real win probability in a way no other single point does. Our point spread guide<\/a> runs the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How long an NFL game takes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sixty minutes of play, four quarters of fifteen, and just over three hours of your afternoon. The gap between game clock and real time comes from the clock stopping constantly: incomplete passes, players going out of bounds, the two-minute warnings, timeouts and replay reviews. A Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff reliably finishes a little after 4:00 p.m. ET, which is worth knowing if you are planning to watch the late window behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The positions, one screen’s worth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eleven players a side, from a game-day roster cut from the 53-man squad. On offence: the quarterback runs the show; five offensive linemen protect him; running backs carry and catch; wide receivers run routes; the tight end does a bit of everything. On defence: the defensive line attacks the ball; linebackers patrol the middle; cornerbacks and safeties, together the secondary, cover the pass. Special teams handle kicks, punts and returns, and a good returner is worth real points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For betting purposes one position towers over the rest. Quarterback injuries<\/a> move point spreads by multiple points; no other player moves a line by one. When you read that a line moved three points on a Wednesday, it is almost always quarterback news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFL vs CFL: same family, different sport<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Canadian fans arrive with instincts the NFL will quietly punish. The CFL plays three downs, not four, which is why Canadian football is pass-heavy by necessity: two realistic chances to move the sticks, not three. The CFL fields twelve players to the NFL’s eleven, on a field 110 yards long to the NFL’s 100, with end zones twice as deep. The rouge, the CFL’s single point for a missed kick that isn’t returned out of the end zone, does not exist in the NFL: a missed field goal there scores nothing and hands over possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practical translation for a bettor: NFL offences have the luxury of patience. Four downs make three-yard runs respectable, clock control a strategy, and totals structurally lower than the CFL’s. Same-shaped game, differently tuned engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The season shape, briefly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eighteen weeks, seventeen games per team, then a 14-team single-elimination playoff into the Super Bowl. The full calendar with the dates that matter for bettors is on our NFL season guide<\/a>, and our NFL power rankings<\/a> track where all 32 teams stand as it plays out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where the rules meet the markets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you came here on the way to betting, the working summary is short. Markets settle with overtime included unless labelled otherwise. Regular-season ties refund a two-way moneyline. Scoring values create the key numbers 3 and 7, and quarterback status moves lines more than any rule. From here, our guide to how to bet on the NFL in Canada<\/a> covers the practical side, and our NFL picks<\/a> apply all of it weekly once the season starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFL rules FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How does NFL overtime work?<\/strong>

Regular season: one 10-minute period, both teams guaranteed a possession since the 2025 rule change, then next score wins; still level at the end means a tie. Playoffs: 15-minute periods that continue until someone wins.<\/p><\/div>

Can NFL games end in a tie?<\/strong>

In the regular season, yes, if overtime expires level. It happens once or twice a season. Playoff games cannot tie.<\/p><\/div>

How many downs does the NFL have?<\/strong>

Four downs to gain ten yards, against the CFL’s three. That single difference explains most of how differently the two games play.<\/p><\/div>

How many players are on an NFL team?<\/strong>

Eleven on the field per side, drawn from a 53-man active roster.<\/p><\/div>

What happens to my bet if a game goes to overtime?<\/strong>

Standard moneyline, spread and totals markets all include overtime. Only markets explicitly labelled regulation time or 60 minutes exclude it. A tie refunds a two-way moneyline at most books.<\/p><\/div>

Why do NFL margins land on 3 and 7 so often?<\/strong>

Because field goals score 3 and converted touchdowns score 7, close games get decided by exactly those increments. It is the foundation of spread betting’s key numbers.<\/p><\/div>

Is overtime in the NFL sudden death?<\/strong>

Not any more. The NFL overtime rules were rewritten for 2025, and both teams are now guaranteed a possession, so a touchdown on the opening drive no longer wins it. The only thing that ends overtime early is the defence scoring on that first possession. Once both sides have had the ball, next score wins, and that part is still sudden death.<\/p><\/div>

Do both teams get a chance to score in overtime in the NFL?<\/strong>

Yes. The NFL overtime rules have guaranteed both teams a possession since 2025, in the regular season and the playoffs alike. The one exception is a defensive score on the opening possession, which ends the game on the spot. Otherwise a team that falls behind in overtime still gets the ball back.<\/p><\/div>

Which number can a quarterback not wear?<\/strong>

Anything from 20 to 99. NFL quarterbacks are limited to 0 through 19, and the 2023 change that opened up number 0 applies to them: Marcus Mariota was the first quarterback to wear it. The wider 2021 relaxation went to the skill positions and the secondary, not to the quarterbacks.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

19+ (18+ in AB\/MB\/QC) | Please play responsibly | Settlement rules vary by book; check the house rules where you bet | ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 (ON); your province’s helpline is on our gambling awareness page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of what ranks for NFL rules is a dated news article written for the last rule change and left to rot. This page is the evergreen version, written for Canadian fans and bettors: how overtime actually works since the 2025 change, what a down is, how the scoring produces the numbers bettors care about,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3589,"featured_media":8759,"parent":8711,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"nfl overtime rules","_yoast_wpseo_title":"NFL Overtime Rules & How the Game Works | Squawka","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"How NFL overtime works after the 2025 rule change, plus downs, scoring, the clock and how the NFL differs from the CFL. 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That single difference explains most of how differently the two games play.","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/how-the-nfl-works\/#faq-question-nflrules4","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/how-the-nfl-works\/#faq-question-nflrules4","name":"How many players are on an NFL team?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Eleven on the field per side, drawn from a 53-man active roster.","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/how-the-nfl-works\/#faq-question-nflrules5","position":5,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/nfl\/how-the-nfl-works\/#faq-question-nflrules5","name":"What happens to my bet if a game goes to overtime?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Standard moneyline, spread and totals markets all include overtime. 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