Site last updated: Monday, April 27, 2026

Log In

Reset Password
MENU
Butler County's great daily newspaper

3 NFL teams submit OT rules

Proposals to change the rules for overtime have been submitted by three NFL teams, with Tennessee seeking to include 2-point conversions as part of the process of deciding the winner, the league announced Wednesday.

The Titans have recommended that both teams possess the ball in overtime unless the team receiving the kickoff scores a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. That would end the game.

Indianapolis and Philadelphia have proposed that both teams must have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.

Under current rules, the 10-minute overtime in the regular season ends if the team getting the first possession scores a touchdown, even though the team kicking off never has the ball. Should the side receiving the kickoff make a field goal, the team that first played defense gets a possession in which it can score a touchdown and win, or kick a field goal and play would continue — if time allows.

In the postseason, the rules are the same, except that overtimes continue until someone has more points.

All overtimes would end if the team that kicks off earns a safety on the opening possession. Games in recent years when overtime contests ended after one series — notably the 2017 Super Bowl, when James White ran 2 yards for a touchdown about four minutes into OT and New England came back from 25 points down for a 34-28 win over Atlanta, and the 2019 AFC championship game, when the Patriots marched down the field on a 13-play drive that concluded with Rex Burkhead’s 2-yard TD run to give New England a 37-31 victory over the Chiefs — have sparked debate whether the current rules are fair to both teams.

“I’m a 50/50 shooter,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said at the scouting combine. “Listen, that’s about what it is in the league right now. I’ve gone the opposite way when we played the Patriots and lost in overtime. You feel like you need a shot at it, but the defensive guys say we should stop them, so that’s the part of it. When you look at it, it’s 50/50 across the board, really, whether you win or lose.

More in Professional

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS