In the National Football League (NFL), tied games occur when a regular season game has gone into overtime and both teams have the same score at the end of the 15-minute overtime period. Under current overtime rules adopted in 2012, "teams... have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once in the extra period unless the team that receives the [first] overtime kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession". If that team instead scores a field goal, the other team has an opportunity to tie or surpass that score. Prior to the rule change, any score by either team in overtime would end the game. 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.