<P> In the National Football League (NFL), a tied game occurs when a regular season game ends with both teams having an equal score after one ten minute overtime period . 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 . Since the National Hockey League eliminated ties by adopting the shootout following the 2004--05 NHL lockout, the NFL is the only one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America to have tied games in regular - season play, as Major League Baseball (in the modern era since 1900) and the National Basketball Association have historically played until there is a winner . NFL teams rarely play for ties . In general, tied games in the NFL are frowned upon by both teams and fans . Because tied games are rare, some players have not known they were allowed in the NFL, such as former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who said after a tie game against the Cincinnati Bengals that he did not know a tie was a possible result . </P> <P> Tie games were frequent in the NFL from its inaugural season in 1920 through 1973, when the league did not have overtime during the regular season . During this period, the NFL had a total of 258 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 . </P> <P> Ties became uncommon after a 1974 rule change added one sudden death overtime period (15 minutes) to regular - season and preseason games if they were tied after regulation . Under the original overtime rules, any score by either team in overtime would win the game . The rules were modified in 2012; if the team that received the opening kickoff scores a field goal, the other team has an opportunity to tie or surpass that score, and if they are able to tie the score the next team to score any points wins . The overtime rules were further modified in 2017, shortening the extra period from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games . </P>

Since when is there ties in the nfl