Question: can a game end in a tie in the nfl

title: List of NFL tied games
text: In the National Football League ( NFL ) , a tied game occurs when a regular season game ends with both teams having an equal score . Ties have counted as a half - win and half - loss in league standings since 1972 ; before that , ties were not counted in the standings at all . Since the National Hockey League eliminated ties by adopting the shootout following the 2004 -- 05 NHL lockout , the NFL is the only one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America to have tied games in regular - season play , as Major League Baseball ( in the modern era since 1900 ) and the National Basketball Association have historically played until there is a winner . Unlike soccer ( association football ) , in which teams routinely play for a draw ( for the benefit of a point in the standings ) , NFL teams rarely play for ties . In general , tied games in the NFL are frowned upon by both teams and fans . Because tied games are rare , some players have not known they were allowed in the NFL , such as former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb , who said after a tie game against the Cincinnati Bengals that he did not know a tie was a possible result . 

Answer: answer: Yes. A game can end in a tie in the National Football League ( NFL ) , and occurs when a regular season game ends with both teams having an equal score. In fact, the NFL is the only one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America to have tied games in regular - season play.
answer: Yes, ties have counted as a half - win and half - loss in league standings since 1972 ; before that , ties were not counted in the standings at all .