In the NFL, plays are defined by the length of time between the snap of the ball and the ball being touched by the first down marker. This number is measured in seconds. At first glance that might look like a long time, but when you realize that the actual time of play during an NFL game can be as short as three seconds, that is a long time.
That’s right! The actual length of time of play in an NFL game is not a whole number. In the NFL, teams play for a minimum of 2:00 seconds and a maximum of 2:14, with a median play time of 2:02. This isn’t bad for professional football.
How Many Minutes of Game Time is a Football Game?
At the start of the game, the clock starts from the beginning of the game.
After each touchdown, the clock resumes running where it left off.
After a safety, the clock restarts.
After a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 50-yard line.
After a kickoff taken outside the 40-yard line, the clock starts running from the end of the play.
If the clock runs out during a play, extra time is played during the second half. Otherwise, the game ends with the winning team scoring either a touchdown or a field goal.
In the event of a tie, the team with the more time left at the beginning of the game wins.
How Long are NFL Games?
The NFL is a somewhat fast pace league. If you watch the NFL you learn that it is very hard to take 11 minutes of action and produce three hour long games. As a result, there is no rule in the NFL that says that after the first 11 minutes of play the game time is to be cut in half. So what really happens is that after 11 minutes of play, the game continues until the 60 minute mark.
The following explanation is taken from an AP article from April 1, 2020.
What Adds to the Time of Regular American Football Games?
1. The clock stops running during a regular season NFL game for a number of reasons such as: a) the quarter-end rule, b) clock operations error, and c) illegal act.
What Adds to the Time for Playoff / Superbowl Games?
The NFL games are longer than regular season games for several reasons. One reason is that there usually are more commercials and more time spent on the halftime show. The other reason is that playoff games are longer than regular season games, and Superbowl games are a little longer than others.
What is the Longest National Football League Game?
The longest NFL game in history took place in December 2005 against the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears. The game lasted a full six hours and forty-six minutes of game time. In the end, the Colts won.
What are Ways the NFL is Speeding up the Game?
Fans love to discuss how they could speed up the action of the game. They talk about various ways that they feel could make the game move better. This includes ways that might make the game more interesting to watch.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the NFL looks for ways to keep the attention of fans while playing a football game, however, they find little success in doing so. While the NFL continues to improve their TV ratings, they find it hard to increase the amount of action shown on the field. While football is an exciting sport, the league fails to keep the attention of its fans, leading to the rise of other sports like the NBA and MLB.
