NFL votes to change overtime rules during the regular season to align with the playoffs

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Overtime is now uniform in the NFL. At the NFL's annual meetings on Tuesday, the league voted to amend the overtime period in the regular season and align it with how the extra period is played in the postseason, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Going forward, both teams will have an offensive possession, no matter if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown or not. 

Specifically, NFL owners approved the proposal brought forward by the Philadelphia Eagles, which amends Rule 16, Section 1 and aligns "the postseason and regular season overtime rules by granting both teams an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the first possession."

The league needed 75% (24 of the 32 teams) to approve this amendment, which they have since secured. 

Before this change, if a game were to go to overtime in the regular season and the team that had the first possession scored a touchdown, the game would be over. Only if the team that won the coin toss kicked a field goal or was unable to score would the opposing team get a possession. We saw the prior rule go into effect firsthand in Week 9 of last season when the Kansas City Chiefs won the overtime coin toss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and drove 70 yards down the field on the first possession, scored, and won the game. 

In 2022, the NFL amended the overtime rules in the playoffs to ensure each team gets a possession, no matter if the first team scored a touchdown. Now, that's expanding into the regular season, giving the game play a more consistent flow. 

While the overtime rules will be consistent with the playoffs, the extra period will remain at 10 minutes. In the initial proposal, it was discussed that overtime extend to 15 minutes, but the league has decided to stick with keeping it at 10 minutes. 

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Tyler Sullivan