In the National Football League (NFL), tied games occur when a regular season game has gone into overtime and both teams have the same score at the end of the 15-minute overtime period.[1] Under current overtime rules adopted in 2012, "teams... have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in the extra period unless the team that receives the [first] overtime kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession". If that team instead scores a field goal, the other team has an opportunity to tie or surpass that score.[2] Prior to the rule change, any score by either team in overtime would end the game.[3] Ties have counted as a half-win and half-loss in league standings since 1972; before that, ties were not counted in the standings at all.[4]
Tie games were once frequent in the NFL, but have become increasingly uncommon due to a rule change in 1974 that extended the existing sudden-death overtime for post-season games into the regular season.[5] Only six ties have occurred since 1989, a statistic that has been attributed to the increasing accuracy of kickers.[6] Unlike in soccer, where teams routinely play for ties due to the benefit of a point in the standings, NFL teams never play for ties; ties are most often the result of mishaps or mistakes from the teams involved. They have been described as the least wanted result that a football game could produce, but a deserved outcome for the participating teams due to the poor play the two teams exhibit.[7] Due to the rarity of tie games, some players who have been involved in them , such as former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, have recounted that they did not even know NFL games could end in ties.[1][8]
From 1920-73, the NFL had a total of 256 tied games. Only three seasons (1934, 1950, 1952) went without a tied game, while five seasons (1920, 1923, 1926, 1929, 1932) had at least ten ties. The most ties, 17, occurred in the 1920 season.[9][10] Since 1974, there have only been 18 tied games, the most recent occurring in the 2012 season when the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams played to a 24-24 draw. The highest-scoring tie game since the rule change was the first one, a 1974 game where the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos tied 35-35. The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles share the lead for the most tied games since the rule change, with each team having played in four tied games.[11]
Tied games (1920-73)[]
| Season | No. of ties | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 1920[upper-alpha 1] | 17 | [9] |
| 1921 | 7 | [10] |
| 1922 | 9 | [10] |
| 1923 | 13 | [10] |
| 1924 | 7 | [10] |
| 1925 | 9 | [10] |
| 1926 | 14 | [10] |
| 1927 | 6 | [10] |
| 1928 | 6 | [10] |
| 1929 | 10 | [10] |
| 1930 | 7 | [10] |
| 1931 | 3 | [10] |
| 1932 | 10 | [10] |
| 1933 | 5 | [10] |
| 1934 | 0 | [10] |
| 1935 | 4 | [10] |
| 1936 | 2 | [10] |
| 1937 | 3 | [10] |
| 1938 | 3 | [10] |
| 1939 | 3 | [10] |
| 1940 | 4 | [10] |
| 1941 | 2 | [10] |
| 1942 | 1 | [10] |
| 1943 | 3 | [10] |
| 1944 | 3 | [10] |
| 1945 | 1 | [10] |
| 1946 | 3 | [10] |
| 1947 | 2 | [10] |
| 1948 | 1 | [10] |
| 1949 | 3 | [10] |
| 1950 | 0 | [10] |
| 1951 | 3 | [10] |
| 1952 | 0 | [10] |
| 1953 | 3 | [10] |
| 1954 | 2 | [10] |
| 1955 | 3 | [10] |
| 1956 | 2 | [10] |
| 1957 | 1 | [10] |
| 1958 | 3 | [10] |
| 1959 | 1 | [10] |
| 1960 | 5 | [10] |
| 1961 | 3 | [10] |
| 1962 | 4 | [10] |
| 1963 | 5 | [10] |
| 1964 | 6 | [10] |
| 1965 | 2 | [10] |
| 1966 | 5 | [10] |
| 1967 | 9 | [10] |
| 1968 | 4 | [10] |
| 1969 | 5 | [10] |
| 1970 | 9 | [10] |
| 1971 | 8 | [10] |
| 1972 | 5 | [10] |
| 1973 | 7 | [10] |
Tied games (1974-present)[]
| No. | Date | Home team | Away team | Score | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 22, 1974 | Denver Broncos | Pittsburgh Steelers | 35-35 | Second regular-season overtime game in NFL history and highest-scoring tie game under modern rules. | [11][6] |
| 2 | September 19, 1976 | Minnesota Vikings | Los Angeles Rams | 10-10 | [11] | |
| 3 | November 26, 1978 | Green Bay Packers | Minnesota Vikings | 10-10 | Both teams finished the season 8-7-1. Minnesota won the NFC Central over Green Bay by virtue of a 1-0-1 head-to-head record against the team. | [7][11] |
| 4 | October 12, 1980 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Green Bay Packers | 14-14 | [11] | |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets | 28-28 | [11] | |
| 6 | December 19, 1982 | Baltimore Colts | Green Bay Packers | 20-20 | Only game of the season that Baltimore (0-8-1)[upper-alpha 2] did not lose. | [10][11] |
| 7 | October 24, 1983 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Giants | 20-20 | Only overtime tie in Monday Night Football history. | [11]Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
|
| 8 | November 4, 1984 | Detroit Lions | Philadelphia Eagles | 23-23 | [11] | |
| 9 | October 19, 1986 | Atlanta Falcons | San Francisco 49ers | 10-10 | [11] | |
| 10 | December 7, 1986 | Philadelphia Eagles | St. Louis Cardinals | 10-10 | [11] | |
| 11 | September 20, 1987 | Green Bay Packers | Denver Broncos | 17-17 | [11] | |
| 12 | October 2, 1988 | New York Jets | Kansas City Chiefs | 17-17 | [11] | |
| 13 | November 19, 1989 | Cleveland Browns | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-10 | [11] | |
| 14 | November 16, 1997 | Baltimore Ravens | Philadelphia Eagles | 10-10 | [11] | |
| 15 | November 23, 1997 | Washington Redskins | New York Giants | 7-7 | Lowest-scoring tie game under modern rules. Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte injured himself during the game by headbutting a stadium wall while celebrating a touchdown. | [11][14] |
| 16 | November 10, 2002 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Atlanta Falcons | 34-34 | Atlanta mounted a 17-point comeback to force overtime. Pittsburgh wide receiver Plaxico Burress was stopped a yard short of the end zone on the final play of overtime. | [11][15] |
| 17 | November 16, 2008 | Philadelphia Eagles | Cincinnati Bengals | 13-13 | Bengals kicker Shayne Graham missed a 47-yard field goal with seven seconds left in overtime. | [11][16] |
| 18 | November 11, 2012 | San Francisco 49ers | St. Louis Rams | 24-24 | St. Louis had a game-winning field goal taken away because of a penalty. Both teams missed field goal tries in the extra period. | [11][17] |
19 November 14, 2021 Pittsburg Steelers Detroit Lions 16-16
Total ties per club (1974-present)[]
| Club | Ties | Season(s) occurred |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 1978, 1980, 1982, 1987 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 1984, 1986, 1997, 2008 |
| St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals | 2 | 1983, 1986 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 1986, 2002 |
| Denver Broncos | 2 | 1974, 1987 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | 1976, 1978 |
| New York Giants | 2 | 1983, 1997 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 1981, 1988 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 1974, 2002, 2021 |
| Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams | 2 | 1976, 2012 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 1986, 2012 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 1997 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 2008 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 1989 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 1984, 2021 |
| Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 1982 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1 | 1981 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 1980 |
| Washington Redskins | 1 | 1997 |
Notes[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Campbell, Dave (November 13, 2012). "Rams-49ers tie likely not enough to alter NFL rule". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121113/fbn-all-tied-up/. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ "NFL overtime rules". NFL.com. March 28, 2012. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d827ee2c0/article/nfl-overtime-rules. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ Chase, Chris (March 28 2012). "NFL passes new overtime rules for regular-season games". Shutdown Corner. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-passes-overtime-rules-regular-season-games-152153688.html. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ Piascik, Andy (2005). "Old and New Style: Winning Percentages". The Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 27 (5). http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/27-05-1099.pdf. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ↑ Jonsson, Patrick (November 12, 2012). "First NFL tie since 2008, between Rams and 49ers: What is this, soccer?". The Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Sports/2012/1112/First-NFL-tie-since-2008-between-Rams-and-49ers-What-is-this-soccer. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chase, Chris (November 12, 2012). "All recent NFL ties have happened in mid-November and other interesting facts". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/12/tie-games-nfl-history/1699437/. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Graham, Bryan Armen. "An argument in favor of tie games". Fan Nation. SI.com. http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/for_the_record/posts/24021. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ Farrar, Doug (November 12, 2012). "49ers and Rams players fail the test when asked about overtime rules". Shutdown Corner. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/49ers-rams-players-fail-test-asked-overtime-rules-125127131--nfl.html. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "1920 APFA Weekly League Schedule". Pro-Football-Reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1920_APFA/games.htm. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 10.21 10.22 10.23 10.24 10.25 10.26 10.27 10.28 10.29 10.30 10.31 10.32 10.33 10.34 10.35 10.36 10.37 10.38 10.39 10.40 10.41 10.42 10.43 10.44 10.45 10.46 10.47 10.48 10.49 10.50 10.51 10.52 10.53 10.54 "Past Standings (1920-2011)". NFL.com. http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/history/pdfs/History/Past_Standings_2011.pdf. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 Sessler, Mike (November 11, 2012). "Rams-49ers play to tie in game fueled by weirdness". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000093381/article/rams49ers-play-to-tie-in-game-fueled-by-weirdness. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ "NFL Champions". Pro Football Hall of Fame. http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/champions.aspx. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ↑ "NFL History by Decade: 1981-1990". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1981-1990. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Top 10 Dumbest Self-Inflicted Injuries". RealClearSports. March 18, 2012. http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/Top_10_Dumbest_SelfInflicted_Injuries/gus_frerotte.html#. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ Bouchette, Ed (November 11, 2012). "Steelers settle for tie as Vick rallies Atlanta from 17-point deficit in fourth quarter". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://old.post-gazette.com/steelers/20021111steele1111p2.asp. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Eagles, Bengals play to NFL's first tie in six years at 13-13". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=281116004. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ Gregory, Sean (November 12, 2012). "Unusual Ending: How the NFL Got a Tie Game". Time Magazine. http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/11/12/unusual-ending-how-the-nfl-got-a-tie-game/. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- Footnotes
External links[]
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