You’re sitting there, wings getting cold, staring at the TV in a mix of confusion and mild annoyance. The clock hits zero in overtime. Nobody is celebrating. Nobody is moping. The scoreboard is stuck at 40-40. It feels wrong. It feels like a movie ending right before the killer is revealed. But that’s the reality of the NFL.
Ties are the "kissing your sister" of professional sports, as the old saying goes. They’re weird, they’re rare, and they’ve been around since the leather-helmet days. But if you’re looking for the specifics of the most recent stalemate, you’ve come to the right place.
The Last NFL Tie Game: September 28, 2025
The most recent tie in the NFL occurred on September 28, 2025, during a Week 4 clash between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. It wasn't just a tie; it was a 40-40 offensive explosion that left fans at AT&T Stadium completely drained.
Honestly, it was a bizarre game. Most ties are low-scoring grinds—think 6-6 or 13-13—where kickers miss chip shots and quarterbacks throw picks. This was different. Both Jordan Love and Dak Prescott were lighting it up. By the time the fourth quarter ended, we were knotted at 37.
Then came the 10-minute overtime. Under the updated rules for the 2025 season, both teams are guaranteed a possession, even if the first team scores a touchdown. Brandon Aubrey knocked through a field goal for Dallas. Then Brandon McManus answered for Green Bay. With both teams having had their shot, it turned into sudden death. But with the shortened 10-minute clock, time simply ran out before anyone could find the end zone or get back into field goal range.
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Forty to forty. It’s now the highest-scoring tie in the overtime era.
Why the NFL Even Allows Ties
It’s a fair question. Every other major American sport hates a draw. Baseball plays until 3:00 AM if they have to. Basketball just keeps adding five-minute chunks. Even the NHL has a shootout to make sure someone goes home happy (or at least with two points).
The NFL is different because of physics. Basically, football is a car crash on every play. The league shortened overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes back in 2017 for one reason: player safety. They don't want athletes playing a "fifth quarter" and then having to turn around and play again six days later. The risk of injury skyrockets when guys are gassed.
So, if you can't decide it in 70 minutes of football, the league basically says, "Close enough. Everyone go home."
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A Quick History of Deadlocks
Before 1974, ties were incredibly common. There wasn't even an overtime period in the regular season. If the game was tied at the end of four quarters, that was it. In 1920, the league's first year, there were 17 ties. Imagine the frustration.
Things changed in '74 when the league added sudden-death overtime. Since then, ties have become the "unicorns" of the stat sheet. We’ve only seen 30 of them since that rule change.
The Teams That Love (and Hate) a Draw
Not all teams are created equal when it comes to the tie column. Some franchises seem to find themselves in this weird limbo more often than others.
- Green Bay Packers: They actually hold the record for the most ties in the overtime era. That 2025 game against Dallas was their 7th since 1974.
- Philadelphia Eagles: Close behind with five. Who could forget 2008, when Donovan McNabb famously admitted he didn't even know a game could end in a tie?
- The "Never-Tied" Club: The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team in the NFL that has never recorded a tie since they joined the league in 1995. Seven other teams—including the Bills, Patriots, and Saints—haven't had one since the '74 rule change.
What Happens in the Playoffs?
This is a huge point of confusion for casual fans. If you’re watching a playoff game and it’s tied at the end of the first overtime, it does not end.
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The NFL cannot have a tie in the postseason because someone has to move on to the next round. In the playoffs, they just keep playing 15-minute periods until someone scores. It’s a completely different set of rules. No ties allowed. Period.
Actionable Insights for Fans
When you see a tie on the schedule, it’s more than just a weird stat. It has real-world implications for the postseason:
- The Playoff Tiebreaker: A tie counts as half a win and half a loss. In the standings, a team that is 9-7-1 is technically better than a team that is 9-8. It can be the difference between hosting a playoff game or watching it from the couch.
- Betting Blows: If you bet on the "Moneyline" (who wins the game), a tie is usually a "push." You get your money back, but you didn't win anything. It’s the ultimate gambling buzzkill.
- Fantasy Football Chaos: If your quarterback is in a tie game, he gets an extra 10 minutes of stats. That can be the "garbage time" goldmine that wins you your weekly matchup.
The 40-40 deadlock between the Packers and Cowboys in late 2025 reminded everyone that no matter how much the league tries to manufacture a winner, the clock remains the ultimate referee. If you're tracking these rarities, keep an eye on teams with struggling red-zone offenses and elite kickers—that’s the perfect recipe for the next NFL tie.
To stay ahead of how these results affect the playoff picture, start checking the "Winning Percentage" column in the standings rather than just the win-loss record. In a season where one game separates four teams, that "1" in the tie column is often the most powerful number on the board.