NFL owners approve rule change to allow both teams possession in overtime

NFL overtime in the regular season will look a bit different in 2025. The league’s owners have passed a rule change to allow both teams to possess the ball, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

The original proposal, which called for a 15-minute overtime period, has been amended to 10 minutes. Owners passed the rule change at the NFL Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday.

Overtime in the regular season now closely resembles that of the postseason. In 2022, owners approved the rule change to give both teams an overtime possession in playoff games. But whereas regular-season games can end in a tie, playoff games obviously need a winner. Teams can play as many 15-minute overtime periods as needed until there is a victor.

The league has altered its overtime policy multiple times in the last 15 years. From 1974-2010, overtime played out in a sudden-death format. In 2010, the league introduced modified sudden death, where a first-possession touchdown would end the game but, after a first-possession field goal, the opposing team would also get an opportunity to possess the ball, per ESPN. The NFL shortened overtime to 10 minutes in 2017.

League owners also approved a proposal to expand the use of replay assist. Replay assist can pick up a flag if clear and obvious video evidence exists. Fouls that can be overturned are hits on a defenseless player, facemask, horse collar, tripping and roughing/running into the kicker. Those penalties can only be reviewed if officials throw a flag on the play. 

NFL changes overtime rules, tush push ban coming?

Now, the league awaits a verdict on the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the tush push. The tush push, also known as the brotherly shove, is a quarterback sneak play in which several players get behind the quarterback and attempt to push him past the first down marker. It’s been a highly effective play for the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing them to move the chains on third/fourth and short situations. Jalen Hurts has benefited from the play at the goal line, with 42 rushing scores over the last three seasons.

Green Bay’s proposal to ban the tush push has support within the competition committee, ESPN reported Sunday. The NFL’s internal data shows that the tush push led to zero injuries in 2024. The Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur are trying to be proactive and get out ahead of a potential injury in the future.

“When you look at the play, I would say I don’t think it’s a great football play. It’s more of a rugby play,” LaFleur said Tuesday, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “And then some of the injury concerns — wanted to kind of get out in front of that and be little more proactive.”