In what year did the NFL introduce the overtime rule for regular-season games? The NFL introduced regular-season overtime in 1974.
The league added a single 15-minute sudden-death period to games tied after regulation. The change was designed to reduce ties; the previous regular season had produced seven of them. Playoff overtime already existed in limited form, but 1974 marked its expansion to regular-season and preseason games.
The first regular-season overtime game was played on September 22, 1974, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos finished 35–35. The first game in which overtime produced a winner came on November 10, when the New York Jets defeated the New York Giants 26–20.
The rule has changed several times. Overtime was shortened from 15 minutes to 10 in 2017, and the league later modified possession rules so that regular-season teams could both receive the ball after an opening-drive touchdown. Ties remain possible if the period ends without a winner.