In the National Football League (NFL), two ties do not equal a win. The NFL uses a unique scoring system where wins and losses are the primary driver of a team’s overall record and postseason qualification. Ties are an infrequent outcome that are counted more neutrally in the standings.
How the NFL Determines Records and Standings
The NFL uses a simple sorting method to determine each team’s record and position in the league standings. Teams are first sorted by number of wins, then any ties, and lastly any losses. For example:
| Team | Wins | Losses | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Team B | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| Team C | 8 | 8 | 0 |
In this scenario, Team A would lead the standings with 10 wins, followed by Team B with 9 wins and 1 tie, and lastly Team C with 8 wins. Team B’s one tie does not get counted as a “half win” or provide any tiebreaker advantage over the other teams.
The Rarity of Tied Games in the NFL
Tied games are an exceptionally rare outcome in the NFL. The last season to feature more than one tie game was 1997. Since then, there have been just 25 tied games total in the past 25 seasons.
The infrequency of ties is due to several factors:
- NFL teams are highly skilled and separated by relatively small margins in talent.
- The NFL uses an overtime period to determine winners and avoid ties.
- Coaches coach to win rather than settling for a tie.
As a result, most NFL teams will go many seasons without ever tying a game. Ties occur only about once per season on average across the entire league.
The Effect of a Tie on Playoff Standings
While rare, a tie can impact which teams qualify for the NFL playoffs each season. With 12 of 32 teams making the playoffs, a single tie can sometimes determine whether a team makes the postseason field or not.
For example, in 2008, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals both finished the season with identical 9-6-1 records. The Eagles edged the Bengals for the final NFC playoff spot based on having a better division record.
More commonly, a tie affects playoff seeding rather than outright qualification. Teams with the same number of wins may end up with different seeds based on factors like a tiebreaker or strength of schedule.
The NFL’s Tiebreaking Procedures
The NFL has an extensive system of tiebreaking procedures that are used to determine division winners, wild card playoff teams, scheduling, and draft order. Ties are a consideration in some of these tiebreakers.
Within a division, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record between tied teams. If tied teams split their head-to-head games, the next tiebreaker is division record. After that, a coin flip is used.
For wild card playoff spots, ties are not used at all in any tiebreaker. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, followed by conference record. Strength of victory and strength of schedule are subsequent considerations.
Strategies Around Tie Games in the NFL
NFL coaches, players, and fans alike despise tie games. The overwhelming motivation is to win the game in regulation or overtime.
However, certain game situations can influence strategy regarding ties versus an outright win or loss. Some examples include:
- A road team late in the 4th quarter may play conservatively for a tie rather than risk a turnover pursuing a win.
- A home team trailing by 3 points late may kick a field goal to tie rather than trying for the winning touchdown.
- A coach may decline penalties that would give the opponent untimed downs at the end of regulation, eliminating the win chance but ensuring at least a tie.
These strategic tie scenarios remain rare. Coaches are judged on their winning percentage, not ties. And with the rise of analytics and win probability models, playing for ties has become even less frequent in the NFL.
Scoring Summary
To summarize the key points:
- Two ties do not equal a win in the NFL standings.
- Ties are exceptionally rare in the NFL, occurring about once per season across the league.
- A tie can influence which teams qualify for the playoffs and seeding.
- The NFL has detailed tiebreaking procedures, but ties are still disliked by players, coaches, and fans.
Conclusion
The NFL scoring system uniquely counts ties as a separate outcome from wins and losses. While infrequent, tied games can impact postseason qualification and seeding. Two ties will never equal a win for an NFL team. The strong desire to play for victories rather than ties makes this an unlikely scenario.