In a game of American football, when a team wins the coin toss at the start of the game, they have three options for how the first half will begin:
| Option | Description |
|—|—|
| Kick | The winning team chooses to kick off to the opposing team to start the game. This is usually chosen if a team has a strong defense and wants to start the game on that side of the ball, or if weather conditions (like strong wind) make it strategically advantageous to kick in a particular direction. |
| Receive | The winning team chooses to receive the opening kickoff and start the game on offense. This allows the team to try and establish an early lead by getting the first opportunity to score points. |
| Defer | The winning team chooses to defer their option to the second half, letting the opposing team choose whether to kick or receive the ball to start the first half. The winning team then gets to choose to kick or receive to start the second half. This is a common strategy in the NFL, as it gives the deferring team the potential for back-to-back possessions (the last one of the first half and the first one of the second half). |
In addition to these options , the losing team of the coin toss gets to choose which end of the field they will defend for the first and third quarters. This choice can be important in certain situations, such as when there are strong winds that could affect gameplay.
In the event of a tied game going to overtime in the NFL, the coin toss winner has slightly different options compared to the start of the game:
- Receive the kickoff or choose the side of the field they wish to defend.
- Under current NFL playoff rules (which will extend to the regular season in 2025), both teams are guaranteed at least one possession in overtime, even if the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown. However, if the receiving team scores a touchdown on their initial possession, and the other team has not yet had a possession, the game will continue into a second overtime period, where the losing team of the previous coin toss gets the first choice.
Note: The visiting team captain traditionally makes the “heads or tails” call before the referee tosses the coin.
Why defer instead of kick?
Here’s the key: by deferring you forced the opponent to make the first choice between kick or receive. You now get to make the second choice of field direction.
What is the alternative to tossing a coin?
Thanks for asking. This is a commonly recognized decision making technique used in everyday life. Other similar methods include: Coin flipping, cutting a deck of playing cards, finding a quotation in a holy book, consulting a Magic 8 Ball, or rolling a die.
What are the methods of restarting play in football?
Good point! A kick-off starts both halves of a match, both halves of extra time and restarts play after a goal has been scored. Free kicks (direct or indirect), penalty kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks and corner kicks are other restarts (see Laws 13 – 17).
What is the new NFL coin toss rule?
From my experience, Starting in 2025, both teams will get to possess the ball in overtime no matter what happens on the first drive. Teams that won the coin toss in overtime have a 30-17-2 record since 2022: 12-4 W-L in 2024, 5-8 in 2023, 13-5-2 in 2022. No NFL game has ended in a tie over the last two seasons.