- List of NFL tied games
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Prior to 1974, the National Football League's rules provided for sudden death overtime only in playoff games. As a result, tied games were a common occurrence in the regular season, occurring if neither team had more points than their opponent after regulation time.
In 1974, the NFL instituted one fifteen-minute overtime period for all games tied at the conclusion of four quarters of play. Any score in that overtime period results in sudden death, and the game immediately ends with the scoring team winning the game. A tied game results only when neither team scores in this single overtime period. The exception to this rule is that playoff games can never end in a tie, and thus multiple overtime periods may be required to decide a winner. However, only five NFL playoff games have gone to a second overtime, and none has ever gone to a third. The longest game in NFL playoff history took 22:40 of overtime to decide.
Since that major rule change, ties in the NFL have been rare. There have been only 17 tie games since 1974, and just four after 1989 (see table below).
Selected game details
- Steelers 35, Broncos 35 (September 22, 1974) – In the very first regular season NFL game to go into overtime under the new rule, Pittsburgh and Denver play the league's first five-quarter deadlock as neither team was able to penetrate enemy territory in the extra period with the exception of a missed 41-yard field goal by the Broncos Jim Turner. The Steelers would go on to win Super Bowl IX later that season, the team's first of their four Super Bowl championships in the decade.
- Giants 20, Cardinals 20 (October 24, 1983) – Neil O'Donoghue of the Cardinals blows three overtime field goal attempts, including one from extra-point distance, in the only five-quarter tie in Monday Night Football history. The game is often derided by critics[who?] as one of the worst in the history of Monday Night Football, which came seven days after the Green Bay Packers outlasted the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, 48–47, in the highest-scoring Monday Night game.
- Eagles 10, Ravens 10 (November 16, 1997) – With 3:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, kicker Matt Stover put the Ravens up 10–3 with a 23-yard field goal. On the ensuing drive, the Eagles drove the ball 60 yards from their own 40 yard line to tie the game, thanks to a drive-capping 2-yard touchdown run from running back Charlie Garner. In overtime, the Ravens had three drives, the last of which saw Matt Stover sail a 53-yard field goal attempt wide to the right, thanks in part to the wind, with 2:21 remaining on the clock. On their final drive, the Eagles drove the ball far enough to give Chris Boniol an attempt to win the game with a 40-yard field goal into the wind. The ball sailed wide to the right, though, as the clock read 0:00.
- Giants 7, Redskins 7 (November 23, 1997) – Late in the second quarter on a Sunday Night game, Washington quarterback Gus Frerotte ran for a one-yard touchdown. In an unusual celebration, Frerotte spiked the ball, butted his head against the concrete padded wall behind the endzone, sprained his neck, and knocked himself out of the game, leaving the Redskins with backup Jeff Hostetler as their leader on offense. In a key late-game penalty, receiver Michael Westbrook was penalized for removing his helmet while talking to an official, pushing the Redskins out of field-goal range. The game ended regulation tied 7–7, and neither team was able to score in the overtime, resulting in the NFL's second tie in as many weeks. It is the only tie after 1989 not to be broadcast on Fox, instead airing on ESPN (all the Fox-aired ties had at least one team with a bird for a nickname, and the host team in each case was from the AFC North, formerly the AFC Central).
- Falcons 34, Steelers 34 (November 10, 2002) – Atlanta scored 17 points in the final 7:44 of regulation, including an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Michael Vick with 42 seconds left, tying the game and forcing overtime. In the overtime period, both teams had potential game-winning field goal attempts blocked. In the final seconds of the overtime, Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught a 50-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Maddox, but was tackled a yard short of the goal line as time expired.
- Eagles 13, Bengals 13 (November 16, 2008) – Eagles kicker David Akers tied the game late in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard field goal. The next five drives yielded no first downs for either team as the game headed for overtime. Neither team saw offensive success in the extra period. In their three drives, the Eagles gained a total of 57 yards with half of them coming on a penalty-ridden drive which started from their own 12-yard line and ended at their own 21-yard line. On their first two drives, the Bengals mustered only 32 yards. However, on their third and final drive, the Bengals were aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Eagles CB Sheldon Brown, which placed the ball on Philadelphia's 34-yard line. In their following three plays, the Bengals were only able to gain five yards, setting up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Bengals kicker Shayne Graham, who missed wide to the right with seven seconds left in the overtime period. An unsuccessful Hail Mary attempt from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb ended the game. McNabb later stated that he was not aware that a game could end in a tie. The tie turned out significant for both teams as the Eagles finished 9–6–1 half a game above several 9–7 teams and clinched the NFC playoffs as the sixth seed. The Bengals finished 4–11–1 half a game ahead of the 4–12 Browns for third place in the AFC North Division.
Current franchises by number of ties (1974–present)
Team name Alternate names # of ties Green Bay Packers n/a 4 Philadelphia Eagles n/a 4 Arizona Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals
Phoenix Cardinals2 Atlanta Falcons n/a 2 Denver Broncos n/a 2 Kansas City Chiefs n/a 2 Minnesota Vikings n/a 2 New York Giants n/a 2 New York Jets n/a 2 Pittsburgh Steelers n/a 2 Baltimore Ravens n/a 1* Cincinnati Bengals n/a 1 Cleveland Browns n/a 1* Detroit Lions n/a 1 Indianapolis Colts Baltimore Colts 1 Miami Dolphins n/a 1 St. Louis Rams Los Angeles Rams 1 San Francisco 49ers n/a 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers n/a 1 Washington Redskins n/a 1 Buffalo Bills n/a 0 Carolina Panthers n/a 0 Chicago Bears n/a 0 Dallas Cowboys n/a 0 Houston Texans n/a 0 Jacksonville Jaguars n/a 0 New England Patriots n/a 0 New Orleans Saints n/a 0 Oakland Raiders Los Angeles Raiders 0 San Diego Chargers n/a 0 Seattle Seahawks n/a 0 Tennessee Titans Houston Oilers
Tennessee Oilers0 * – The NFL considers the current Cleveland Browns franchise to be a continuation of the original Browns and the Baltimore Ravens to be an expansion team. Accordingly, the Browns' 1989 tie with Kansas City counts towards Cleveland's total, rather than the Ravens'.
References
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
- 2003 NFL Record & Fact Book (ISBN 0-7611-3148-5)
- Head-Butt Turns Into Real Pain in the Neck
Categories:- National Football League lists
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