Regular-season overtime games will follow the protocol used in the playoffs and all turnovers will be automatically reviewed, according to results of a vote by National Football League (NFL) owners on Wednesday.
Starting with the 2012 NFL season, each team will have an opportunity to possess the ball in the extra period unless the team that receives the overtime kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession.
The rule matches the system approved for the playoffs ahead of the 2010 season that eliminated a true sudden death format by ensuring a game that goes into overtime can no longer end on a field goal on the first possession.
At a meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, NFL owners also agreed that teams will no longer have to challenge calls on turnovers as those plays will now be automatically reviewed.
