XFL Announces Rule Changes to Differ from NFL, Featuring Shootout-Style OT

One month before the XFL's relaunch, the league has announced rule changes that will make it different than the traditional NFL style of football that fans are accustomed to. 

Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, the league's official rule book will include "more than two dozen changes to the conventional approach of pro football."

The most notable changes include a shootout-style overtime that gives each team five single-play possessions from its opponent's 5-yard line. If the game remains tied after those five possessions, teams will rotate plays with the ball until there is a winner. 

There will also be a three-tiered system for extra points with a one-point play from the 2-yard line, a two-point play from the 3-yard line or a three-point play from the 10-yard line. 

Seifert noted the XFL is hoping overtime games are a rare occurrence because of the different extra-point options for teams to choose from. 

This change comes in the wake of renewed interest in the NFL's overtime rules. The Minnesota Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints 26-20 on Sunday in the NFC Wild Card Game when Minnesota scored on the first possession of the extra period, preventing the Saints from getting a chance to respond. 

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt proposed a rule last offseason that would have given teams an opportunity to respond in the event an opponent scored a touchdown on the first possession of overtime during postseason games. 

Hunt told Florio the proposal had support and could change, but it was tabled for one year until the league's offseason meetings in 2020. 

Another notable change for the XFL includes a running clock even after incomplete passes or when players step out of bounds until the final two minutes of each half, with Seifert adding the league hopes to have games run around two hours and 45 minutes. 

The XFL, which lasted a single season in 2001, will unveil its all-new format when games begin Feb. 8. The regular season will last for 10 weeks, followed by a two-week single-elimination postseason.