What Percentage of NFL Games Go to Overtime or Are Tied?

Extra football is hard to come by in the NFL, but when games stretch past regulation, high-stakes drama is guaranteed. Historically, only a tiny fraction of matchups require overtime, with a game finishing in a tie highly unlikely.

In this guide, we examine the statistical likelihood of games going to overtime, how often teams settle for a tie, and the key rule changes that came into effect last year. We’ll also explore how these rare scenarios shift betting odds and where to locate top-tier prop markets this year.

What Percentage of NFL Games Go to Overtime?

Since the introduction of regular-season overtime in 1974, 5% to 6% of NFL games have required extra time, working out to approximately one in every 20 matchups. Exactly 665 games have gone to overtime since 1974. With a total of 12,379 games played, 5.39% matchups resulted in overtime.

Across a standard 272-game slate, most seasons finish with between 14 and 20 overtime games. Recent seasons highlight how there has been a steady drop in overtime sessions:

- 2021: 21 overtime games (a high mark for the 17-game schedule era).
- 2024: 16 overtime games, landing right in line with the long-term league average.
- 2025: 14 regular-season games went to extra time, sitting on the lower end of the expected range.

Playoff overtimes occur at a similar rate to regular-season extra periods. In NFL postseason history, 32 total playoff games have extended beyond 60 minutes since being introduced in the 1940s (first playoff OT in 1958).

Since the introduction of official overtime rules, playoff OT games account for roughly 5% to 6% of all postseason matchups, so it matches the same occurrence as in the regular season.

Higher modern frequency: Over the last decade (due to league parity, rule changes favoring offense, and tighter point spreads), the frequency has bumped up slightly to 5.8%-6.2% in recent seasons, yielding an average of 15 to 18 overtime games per 272-game season.

Updated Overtime Rules

In 2025, the NFL made a significant rule change for overtime games. Now, both teams get at least one possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown right away. Overtime still lasts 10 minutes, and each team gets two timeouts.

If the game is still tied when time runs out, it ends as a draw in the regular season. This rule makes the regular season match the postseason format, where both teams already had a guaranteed possession.

However, the new rules didn’t lead to more games that went to overtime for the 2025-26 season. Statistician Nate Silver predicted it would lead to a 0.5% rise, though that figure dropped from 5.88% to 5.15% year over year (16 to 14 games).

Effect of the Coin Toss

Winning the overtime coin toss has historically handed a major advantage to the team calling the flip. From 1974 through 2009 (2012 regular season), NFL overtime operated under a true sudden-death format, where the first team to score any points won the game.

That edge spiked in 1994 when the kickoff was moved back five yards, with better field position and improving kickers, roughly 60% of teams that won the toss went on to score first and win.

To address the imbalance, the NFL modified the format starting in the 2010 playoffs (2012 regular season). Under these rules, an opening-drive field goal no longer ended the game, only a touchdown on the initial possession provided an instant victory. In the regular season, the change leveled the playing field, dropping the coin-toss winner’s win rate to 52.8%.

In the postseason, however, the bias remained glaring, as toss winners claimed 10 of 11 playoff overtime games (90.9%).

In response, the NFL expanded guaranteed possessions to both teams. During the 2025-26 regular season, the first under this universal rule, teams winning the toss won just 42.9% of OT games (going 6-7-1). The postseason yielded less of an advantage as well: the Buffalo Bills won the coin toss and game to the Denver Broncos, while the Chicago Bears won the toss and fell to the Los Angeles Rams.

With both teams now guaranteed a shot with the ball, the coin toss bias that once dictated overtime outcomes has effectively been eliminated.

Are There Ties in the NFL?

Ties are a rare anomaly in the NFL, occurring only in the regular season when two teams remain deadlocked after a single 10-minute overtime period. Because every postseason matchup requires a winner, playoff games bypass this limit and can feature multiple overtime periods until someone breaks the tie.

Under modern rules, ties are exceptionally scarce, with most seasons concluding without a single game ending in a draw. In fact, all 272 regular-season games in 2024 yielded a clear winner.

That tie-free streak finally ended in Week 5 of the 2025 season, when the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys played to a dramatic 40-40 draw, marking the first tie under the NFL’s updated overtime regulations.

How Does a Tie Happen in the NFL?

For a NFL game to end in a tie, several factors need to line up.

Regulation ends with both teams tied. The game moves to overtime.
The overtime period expires tied. If neither team is ahead after 10 minutes, the game ends in a draw.
The game is played in the regular season. Only regular season games can end in tie, there’s always a winner in the playoffs, as teams play multiple overtimes if the first one is tied.

How Many Ties Are There in NFL History?

Since OT was added to the rulebook in 1974, only 30 games have resulted in a tie (0.25%), or one out of 412 regular season matchups. There have been a total of 320 ties in NFL history. Note that 290 of them occurred before the league implemented the overtime rule in 1974.

The most ties recorded in a single season with the overtime rule is two, which has occurred in years such as 1986, 1997, 2016, 2018, and 2022. Before 1974, when games ended after regulation regardless of score, ties were far more common.

In recent years, better kicking, bolder late-game play-calling, and the shorter 10-minute overtime period have all influenced when ties happen. Four of the last five ties before 2025 took place in September, usually early in the season when teams are still getting into rhythm.

Slightly more NFL seasons finish without a single tied game. From 1974 to the 2025 season, there have been 27 campaigns without a tie throughout the entire schedule (51.9%).

In 2024, all 272 regular-season games produced a winner, there were no ties under the updated overtime rules. The 2025 season finally saw the streak end when the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys finished 40-40 in Week 5, marking the first tie under the updated overtime rules.

Summary of Key Facts about NFL Overtime and Ties

Around 5-6% of NFL games go into overtime (5.39% in 12,379 games).
30 ties have occurred since the 1974 season.

The first tie happened in 1974 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos and the last between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys in 2025.

The 2025 rule now guarantees both teams a possession in regular-season overtime.

Overtime remains 10 minutes long in the regular season; games tied after that end as draws.

Overtime is 15 minutes long in the postseason, and there can be multiple overtimes until there’s a winner.

In the first year of the new rule, overtimes dipped from 16 in 2024-25 to 14 in 2025-26.

How Overtime and Ties Affect NFL Betting?

NFL overtime and ties can heavily impact your betting results since most NFL betting markets are resolved based on the outcome after the overtime.

Betting Market	How Overtime Affects Your Bet	Impact of a Tie
Moneyline	The team that wins in OT wins the bet.	Push (Stake refunded on 2-way lines).
Point Spread	Final margin includes OT points. Late scores can flip covers.	Push if the final margin matches the exact spread.
Game Totals (Over/Under)	Heavy advantage to the Over. All OT points count.	No impact on totals unless the final tally lands exactly on the line (Push).
Player Props	Bonus stats. Yards and TDs accumulated in OT count.	N/A
3-Way Lines / Double Chance	Settled at the end of regulation. OT results do not apply.	Tie wagers win. Moneyline favorite/underdog bets lose.

As an example, if you bet on the total points market, the points scored in overtime count and could ruin your under wager. The same applies to spreads, moneyline bets, team totals, player props, and most NFL markets.

While overtime and ties are rare in the NFL, you should consider them, especially when you’re betting on close games.

Can You Bet on NFL Overtime and Ties?

Most of the top NFL betting sites offer overtime and tie bets as special options. The most common options are for individual games to end in a tie or go to overtime. However, some betting sites offer futures like the following:

- Will any NFL game go to overtime this week?
- Will there be a tie during the NFL season?
- Total number of overtime games in the season (Over/Under).

Because these outcomes are rare, the odds on overtime and tie bets are usually high. A “yes” bet on overtime usually pays around +700 to +1000, while a tie can exceed +5000 odds. With the true odds of overtime occurring at 5-6%, and a +700 bet carrying a much higher 12.5% implied probability, it’s vital to get the highest odds at +1000 or better.

The odds change based on the matchup. Low-scoring teams, strong defenses, or bad weather can make overtime or ties a little more likely. Still, these results are uncommon, so most bettors treat them as fun side bets rather than regular betting options.

Where to Bet on NFL Overtime and Ties?

Many online bookies offer NFL overtime and tie props, but Lucky Rebel is The Sports Geek’s top choice. NFL overtime odds can vary significantly between oddsmakers, and it’s important to confirm your wagers at a sportsbook that offers the best prices.

The site offers excellent odds on overtime and ties for all NFL regular-season games, among other props, which can be wagered on in live markets as well. For a limited time, new players at Lucky Rebel can claim a 125% welcome bonus of up to $1,250.

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