what happens if a nfl playoff game ends in a tie

An NFL playoff game cannot end in a tie; the teams keep playing additional overtime periods until someone wins.

Basic rule

• In the playoffs , there must be a winner, so the game continues with overtime periods until one team is ahead at the end of a possession-based overtime sequence.

• This is different from the regular season , where a game can be officially recorded as a tie if the score is still even after one 10‑minute overtime period.

How playoff overtime works

• After regulation ends tied, the game goes to overtime with a coin toss to determine first possession.

• Each team is guaranteed one possession in playoff overtime; after both have had the ball, if the score is still tied, it becomes sudden death and the next score wins.

Multiple overtimes

• If the game is still tied after the first overtime period, they simply start another overtime, with only a short break in between.

• This can theoretically continue into double, triple, or even more overtimes, with additional coin tosses if it gets deep into extra periods, until one team finally leads at the end of a sequence.

Why there’s no tie in playoffs

• A tie is not allowed because playoff games decide who advances to the next round or wins the Super Bowl, so a clear winner is required.

• Standings-style tiebreakers (like strength of schedule or head-to-head) are only for seeding and qualification, not for resolving an individual playoff game result.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.