Because postseason games cannot result in a tie, the overtime regulations differ slightly from regular season games. If the score remains tied at the completion of an extra period, or if the second team's initial possession does not end, the teams will play another overtime period. The winner is determined by the first player to reach 10 points.
The last time this happened was 2014 between the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots. In that game, neither team scored during regulation time so the two teams went into overtime where Colin Kaepernick threw for 106 yards including a 46-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree to give the 49ers a 21-17 win over their rival Patriots.
Crabtree was named MVP of that game after he had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. It was the first playoff victory for the 49ers since 2002 when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-19 in the NFC Championship Game.
The previous time this has happened was 2001 when the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos played out a 14-14 tie after regulation time. They then took it into overtime where Rich Gannon threw three touchdowns en route to a 42-28 Raiders victory.
So if the Super Bowl ends in a tie, there would be no champion until next year's game.
RULES FOR OVERTIME IN NFL POSTSEASON GAMES Because postseason games cannot result in a tie, the overtime regulations differ slightly from regular season games. If there is still no winner at the completion of the fourth extra session, a coin toss will be held, and play will resume until a winner is determined. This has only happened once in the history of the NFL playoffs.
In 1971, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings met in the NFC Championship Game. The game went into overtime, and neither team was able to score a touchdown during their respective opportunities. The decision was then made by a joint committee of fans and players that would have been an unprecedented event for the NFL had it not been for this game: they decided to flip a coin to see who would advance to the Super Bowl. The Vikings won the toss and elected to defer, giving them one more opportunity to score later in the fourth quarter. However, the Bears defense was too strong for the Vikings, as they prevented Minnesota from scoring again and thus advanced to face Dallas in Super Bowl IX.
There have been several games since then that have gone into overtime but have never been resolved by a coin toss.
A game in the NHL cannot conclude in a draw. During the regular season, if a game is tied at the end of regulation (60 minutes), it will proceed to overtime. If the score is still tied after four minutes, the referee may immediately begin the penalty shot round of the last sudden death period. Otherwise, the first player to touch the puck during a five-minute time-out is awarded a penalty shot.
Penalty shots are taken very seriously in the NHL and are rarely called unless there is clearly no way for the shooter to put the puck past the goaltender. Teams usually choose their best shooter who will have one chance to beat the goalie while the other team's goalie has a break between shifts. The penalty shot rules were created to give players a fair opportunity to score and to prevent games from ending in a shootout every time there is a close call at the netminder's pad.
During the 2011-12 season, there were three penalty shootouts in the playoffs. All three ended in victories for the team that took the penalty shot. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel was the first player to take a penalty shot this season and won it against Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas with a quick move around Thomas' right side for his first career playoff goal.
This implies that games may result in a tie before the tournament's title match. Overtime is only allowed if the two teams are tied in aggregate goals after the two matches are completed. If no goal is scored during overtime, then the match will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
In fact, this has happened twice in the history of the Champions League: In 1992, Milan and Manchester United played to a scoreless draw after 120 minutes of play; the replay was also finished without any goals scored so the final score was 1-1 after both matches were completed. In 2005, Liverpool and Lyon drew 1-1 after extra time in their quarter-final match; because there was still no winner after that game, it was decided by a penalty shoot-out (5-4).
The last time this occurred in the group stage was in 2009 when Schalke 04 and Tottenham Hotspur ended up with a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of play in their match. Because there was no winner out of the two matches, they had to decide the champion at a penalty shoot-out (6-5).
Since then, there have been no more ties in the group stage. However, it is possible that such a thing could happen again this year.
Basketball games, in general, cannot finish in a draw. If the score is tied at the end of regular, the game proceeds into five minutes of overtime. If the game is still tied at the completion of overtime, another overtime session is played. This procedure is continued until a winner is determined. In case of a third tie-breaker (points earned in previous games between the teams), we know that the 1971 NBA Finals match up of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers was one of them! The series ended at 3 games each.
During World War II, when basketball players were needed more than usual for military service, some games did end in ties. That happened several times during the 1939-1940 season, including one game between the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians worth mentioning here. The two teams were playing for first place in the Western Division with both clubs having 47 wins. They met on October 31, 1939 at Rochester's Memorial Auditorium. After three overtimes, the game remained tied at 89 points each. The next day, there was a vote among the fans who chose to break the tie in favor of the Royals by a margin of 5,000 votes over the Olympians. Thus, the victory went to Rochester for the best record in the division.
Another wartime tie occurred in the 1945 NBA Finals when the Chicago Stags and Boston Celtics had a final score of 98-all after four overtimes.
If the game concludes in a draw, it will be continued in a single 15-minute extra period, with first possession determined by a coin toss. Unless the first team scores a touchdown, both teams are guaranteed one possession (the game ends there). If the first team gets another touchdown during their remaining time, they will win the game. If not, then the second team wins by default.
There have been nine ties in NFL history. The first four were decided by rules as they exist today: 1930 NFL Championship Game (Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants), 1931 NFL Championship Game (Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions), 1947 NFL Championship Game (Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears), 1948 NFL Championship Game (Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears). The next five were all won by the team that scored first: 1969 AFL Championship Game (Houston Oilers vs. Minnesota Vikings), 1978 AFC Championship Game (Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos), 1979 AFC Championship Game (Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos), 1998 NFC Championship Game (San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons), 2016 NFC Championship Game (Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers).
Ties are rare in college football but do occur from time to time. There have been 38 ties in the BCS era (2007-present). Most recently, there was a tie between Clemson and Alabama for the title of best team in 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
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