ATLANTA -- Everyone should already know that regular season overtime rules and playoff overtime rules are different, since a postseason game must end in someone winning. The Super Bowl is no different and one of the Rams and Patriots will walk away victorious at some point in time.
So how does this work exactly? Well, the two teams could ultimately end up playing plenty of football if things are still tied going into extra time (Super Bowl LIII is live, and you can stream it right here at CBSSports.com).
Just like the regular season, the two teams will kick off an extra overtime period. But they will play an UNLIMITED NUMBER OF OVERTIME PERIODS until there is a Super Bowl winner.
There will be a coin toss, just like normal overtime. And whoever wins the toss will have the opportunity to get the ball and go score a touchdown. If they do get six, the game will end and the team with the score is the winner.
If not, the team with the ball could potentially get a field goal, and the other team could answer. That would result in overtime continuing until one team scores.
Here are the full rules for overtime from the NFL -- remember that ANY score (a safety, touchdown, field goal, whatever) results in a victory once both teams have possessed the ball.
- 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 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.
