I am a football beginner, but still a fan. I've been wondering how could an American football team tie with another team. I know that there is OT (overtime), and I'm not sure if the game ends with a tie after one OT.
Could somebody explain to me how can an American football team tie with another team?
In the NFL, if the score is tied at the end of the fourth quarter, the game goes into overtime (OT).
The current overtime rules follow a modified sudden death format. In this format, the first team to score wins the game, unless a field goal is scored on the first possession of overtime. In that event, the team that did not score is allowed one possession to try to score.
Overtime is a 10-minute period. (Before 2017, overtime was 15 minutes.) During the regular season, if the entire 10-minute overtime period is played and the teams are still tied, the game ends in a tie.
During the playoffs, however, tie games are not allowed. If the overtime period ends with no result, another overtime period is begun, and the game will continue until there is a winner.
Sources:
NFL.com: NFL overtime rules
Sports Illustrated: How does NFL overtime work?
