One of the most important aspects in all sports is determining when to call a game. There are several different types of games in which athletes play, including regulation games where teams compete with each other for an indefinite amount of time until one team reaches a certain number of points or goals. One specific example of this type of game is American Football, however after 4 quarters the game will go into overtime if there is a tie.
This post discusses whether or not the Super Bowl has ever gone to an overtime period. The answer to this question is no, but it does have implications for how future games could be played.
The first Super Bowl game was played on January 15, 1967
(Super Bowl I) and featured the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers won 35-10 after outscoring the Chiefs by three touchdowns in the second half up to that point (Hensley, 2016). It would be another five years before there was a Super Bowl where the game was tied through regulation time. In Super Bowl V, played on January 17, 1971 the Baltimore Colts and the Dallas Cowboys both scored ten points in regulation time
(Super Bowl V). In what many people believe to be one of the worst Super Bowls played , the two teams ended up playing for an additional 15 minutes but could not reach a point higher than a tie. This game ended with a 16-13 win for the Colts in what would be considered an upset (Hensley, 2016).
The game between the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII in 1973 is perhaps one of the most memorable games in NFL history. The game ended with a 14-7 score after Jim Zorn threw a touchdown pass to Charlie Brown with two minutes and seven seconds remaining in the game (Super Bowl VII). Many people consider this to be one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.
This was the last time that a Super Bowl ended without going into overtime until 2014, where there was another infamous tie. The New England Patriots faced off against the Seattle Seahawks on February 1, 2015 in Super Bowl XLIX.
How many super bowls have went into overtime?
ZERO. They have only gone into OT 16 times in NFL history, but all of them are counted as regulation wins.
- Super Bowl I was played on January 15th, 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers beat the Chiefs 35-10 after outscoring them by 3 touchdowns in the second half.
- Super Bowl V was played on January 17th, 1971 between the Baltimore Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. The game ended with a 16-13 win for the Colts in what has been considered one of the worst Super Bowls ever.
- In Super Bowl VII on January 14th, 1973 between the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins, the Redskins ended up winning 14-7.
- On February 1st, 2015 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, it didn’t go to OT but still ended in a tie. This game has been considered one of the worst Super Bowls ever.
- The most recent Super Bowl that didn’t go to OT was on February 5th, 2017 between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons lead 28-3 by halftime but ended up losing 34-28 in what has been called one of the greatest comebacks ever.
- Super Bowls that have gone to overtime: 16 out of 49 total Super Bowls (Super Bowls X through XLIX).
No Super Bowls have ever gone into overtime because if one ends in a tie, teams must compete until they reach the goal that was not reached by both teams during regulation.
The Super Bowl is arguably the most popular sporting event in America, involving different teams from each conference competing to be the best in the NFL.
