The 2023 NFL season has been equally unpredictable and exciting. As we head into another week, see below for a refresher of the 2023 NFL overtime and challenge rules.
Be sure to follow all of the NFL excitement on NBC and Peacock all season long. See below for additional information on how you can keep up with the latest news and live stream Sunday Night Football games.
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How does overtime work in the NFL regular season?
Here are the rules according to the NFL rulebook:
- At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss.
- No more than one 10-minute period will follow a three-minute intermission. Each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball. The exception: if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession.
- Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score (safety, field goal or touchdown) — continues until a winner is determined.
- Each team gets two timeouts.
- The point after try is not attempted if the game ends on a touchdown.
- If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie.
- There are no instant replay coach’s challenges; all reviews will be initiated by the replay official.
How does overtime work in the NFL postseason?
Unlike the regular season, playoff games cannot end in a tie so the rules are a bit different since the NFL changed its playoff overtime rules last year. Now postseason games won’t end with a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime.
Here are the rules according to the NFL rulebook:
- If the score is still tied at the end of an overtime period — or if the second team’s initial possession has not ended — the teams will play another overtime period. Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.
- There will be a two-minute intermission between each overtime period. There will not be a halftime intermission after the second period.
- The captain who lost the first overtime coin toss will either choose to possess the ball or select which goal his team will defend, unless the team that won the coin toss deferred that choice.
- Each team will have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.
- Each team gets three timeouts during a half.
- The same timing rules that apply at the end of the second and fourth regulation periods also apply at the end of a second or fourth overtime period.
- If there is still no winner at the end of a fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss, and play will continue until a winner is declared.
How do NFL challenges work?
Each team is given two challenges at the start of the game that will initiate an Instant Replay review. For more on the NFL’s Instant Replay procedures, click here.
In a new change this year, when an Instant Replay decision calls for a reversal under 2:00, the play clock will be reset to 40 seconds rather than 25 seconds. The only exception will be if there is an existing rule that requires other procedures. For example if there is a 10 second runoff, the play clock will be reset to 30 seconds in that scenario.
RELATED: NFL overtime rules and procedures
How can I watch Sunday Night Football on Peacock:
If you have access to NBC via your TV provider, you can watch Sunday Night Football on your TV or with a TV provider login on the NBC Sports app, NBC app, or via NBCSports.com. Check your local listings to find your NBC channel. If you can’t find NBC in your channel lineup, please contact your TV provider.
If you don’t have access to NBC via your TV provider, you can stream Sunday Night Football on Peacock. Sign up here.
If you’ve already followed the steps to create your new Peacock account, and you added a password, you can now Sign In with that email and password on all your supported devices. If you never set your password, or don’t remember it, reset it now.
If you have a Peacock account but don’t have a Premium plan, Sign In and select Account in the upper right corner. Under Plans & Payment, you should see an option to Upgrade to Premium.
Will Sunday Night Football be available in Spanish on Peacock?
Yes! Every Sunday Night Football game will be available in Spanish on Peacock.
Will there be any games that are exclusive to Peacock?
There will be two exclusive NFL games on Peacock in the 2023–2024 season. One regular season game and one NFL Playoff game will only be available to Peacock subscribers. The first game will take place Saturday, Dec 23 at 8p ET between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers. The playoff game will take place during the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan 13, 2024.
What devices does Peacock support?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
