# NFL Ties **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 1, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060 "2011-01-01T17:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/1 "2011-01-01T17:06:29Z")
When was the last NFL game that ended in a tie? How many games have ended up tied since the NFL instituted sudden-death in regular season games? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/2 "2011-01-01T17:18:14Z")
[List of NFL tied games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_tied_games) There have been 17 since the implementation of sudden death in 1974. The last one was in 2008, the famous Donovan McNabb incident where he stated after the game that he didn’t know an NFL game could end in a tie. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/3 "2011-01-01T19:31:32Z")
I think I once read that the NFL rule is that the game only goes into overtime if the teams are tied with scores on the board. If two teams manage to play four quarters without scoring, the game does not go into overtime. Is that correct? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/4 "2011-01-01T19:47:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think I once read that the NFL rule is that the game only goes into overtime if the teams are tied with scores on the board. If two teams manage to play four quarters without scoring, the game does not go into overtime. Is that correct? Nope ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/5 "2011-01-01T19:51:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think I once read that the NFL rule is that the game only goes into overtime if the teams are tied with scores on the board. If two teams manage to play four quarters without scoring, the game does not go into overtime. Is that correct? [No:](http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/suddendeath) Sudden Death The sudden death system of determining the winner shall prevail when score is tied at the end of the regulation playing time of all NFL games. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/6 "2011-01-01T20:12:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think I once read that the NFL rule is that the game only goes into overtime if the teams are tied with scores on the board. If two teams manage to play four quarters without scoring, the game does not go into overtime. Is that correct? Thought not recently, there have benn SEVERAL 0-0 games. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/7 "2011-01-02T00:10:45Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Thought not recently, there have benn SEVERAL 0-0 games. The most recent one was in 1943 and, as Airman Doors posted, the overtime rules were revised in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/8 "2011-01-02T00:18:14Z")
> [@Andrew\_21](#): > > [No:](http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/suddendeath) > > Sudden Death > The sudden death system of determining the winner shall prevail when score is tied at the end of the regulation playing time of all NFL games. What you cited is the NFL rules digest. This is a summary of the rules not the official rulebook, which is much more detailed. The official rulebook is copyrighted and apparently not available online. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/9 "2011-01-02T06:25:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What you cited is the NFL rules digest. This is a summary of the rules not the official rulebook, which is much more detailed. The official rulebook is copyrighted and apparently not available online. OK, does anyone have access to a NFL rulebook that can look this up? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/10 "2011-01-02T13:35:27Z")
How are ties done in playoff games? thanks Brian ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-ties/566060/11 "2011-01-02T17:17:24Z")
No ties in a playoff game, they keep playing OT periods until somebody wins. This year they changed the playoff OT rules. If the team who gets the ball first kicks a FG, the other team also gets the ball to tie or win. That is supposed to eliminate the advantage you get by getting the ball first in OT.