# Can an NFL game end on a safety? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 24, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810 "2020-12-24T11:07:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/1 "2020-12-24T11:07:43Z")
Not finding anything on Google. In the NFL if a team scores a touchdown just as regulation time runs out they are still able to attempt the point after or 2 point conversion as neither affect the game clock. But what about a safety? If a team scores a safety just as time runs out, is the game over or does the other team still have to drop kick the ball back to them for one last chance to run the ball back and score? ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/2 "2020-12-24T11:21:21Z")
It looks like there must be a kick if there is a safety. There is an exception ( rule 4-8-2 g). The exception states the kick needs to be requested by the receivers. So yes, it seems a game can end on a safety. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/3 "2020-12-24T11:23:33Z")
The monday night football game last week ended in a safety. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/4 "2020-12-24T12:10:07Z")
Alas it did. But the ravens were already ahead. What if they were behind after that safety and clock rundown? Would the Browns have been required to kick the ball to them even though time had run out? And yes, I realize it would have been bizarre for the Browns to run a play had they been up. I’m talking rules here, not reality. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/5 "2020-12-24T12:33:19Z")
Based on this intentional safety, as of 4 years ago the game immediately ends if there is no time left, and a subsequent free kick is not required. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/baCeMpAZIgI/maxresdefault.jpg "Baltimore Ravens Holding Strategy on Bizarre Final Play! | Bengals vs. Ravens | NFL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baCeMpAZIgI) However, this particular play resulted in a rule change: > **[NFL rule change bans brilliant strategy that helped the Ravens seal a win...](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/07/2017-nfl-rule-changes-manipulating-clock-penalties-ravens-49ers)** > > The No Fun League earns its nickname once again. ARTICLE 3. INTENTIONAL FOULS TO MANIPULATE GAME CLOCK A team may not commit multiple fouls during the same down in an attempt to manipulate the game clock. Penalty: For multiple fouls to run off time from the game clock: Loss of 15 yards, and the game clock will be reset to where it was at the snap. After the penalty is enforced, the game clock will start on the next snap. ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/6 "2020-12-24T13:02:26Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > But the ravens were already ahead. What if they were behind after that safety and clock rundown? Would the Browns have been required to kick the ball to them even though time had run out? I guess I should include links… [Rule 4 Section 8](https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2020-nfl-rulebook/#section-8-extension-of-a-period-or-a-half) Article 2 (g) of the above rule states… > If a safety results from a foul during the last play of a half, the score counts. A safety kick is made if requested by the receivers. So in your example above, if the Ravens were behind, and scored a safety on the Browns, according to the rule above if the Ravens had requested it, then the Browns would have to kick it. It appears to me from the rule, that the game could end on the safety, if the Ravens don’t request the kick. So it could go either way. ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/7 "2020-12-24T13:09:34Z")
Missed the edit timeout… After further review, the above is partially overturned. It looks like if there is no penalty there is a kick. See Rule 11 Section 5. (you can find at the above link) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/8 "2020-12-24T14:19:14Z")
It’s not in the spirit of the question but I think it’s worth pointing out that if a game goes to overtime, if a team scores a safety that will end the game. Rule 16, Article 1, Section 3. > [@](#): > > Both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball once during the extra period, unless the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on its initial possession, in which case it is the winner, **or if the team kicking off to start the overtime period scores a safety on the receiving team’s initial possession** , in which case the team that kicked off is the winner. [http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/19\_2012\_Overtime\_Procedures.pdf](http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/19_2012_Overtime_Procedures.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/9 "2020-12-24T17:45:48Z")
By my reading, a safety that occurs with no time left in the half ends the half, except if the safety resulted from a foul. That is, if the offensive team commits a foul in its end zone, that’s automatically a safety. (It seems that’s true whether or not the ball carrier is in the end zone, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.) In that one case, the defensive team can opt to receive the free kick in an untimed play. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/10 "2020-12-24T21:01:26Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > (It seems that’s true whether or not the ball carrier is in the end zone, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.) I’ve seen safeties called for offensive holding, when called against an offensive lineman who is in the end zone when he commits the penalty. Though the ball carrier (typically the quarterback) is also in the end zone at the time when this happens, the determining factor is where the infractor is standing at the time of the penalty. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9UfYRJT8NnE/maxresdefault.jpg "Hold On! Raiders Give Up Safety for Holding in the End Zone! | Raiders vs. Lions | NFL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UfYRJT8NnE) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/11 "2020-12-26T05:16:19Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > But what about a safety? If a team scores a safety just as time runs out, is the game over or does the other team still have to drop kick the ball back to them for one last chance to run the ball back and score? Please note that a safety is hardly ever followed by a drop kick. A safety is followed by a safety kick, which is one form of free kick. A safety kick may be either a punt, kick off of a tee, or drop kick. In practice teams choose to punt about 95% of the time, kick off perhaps 4.99% of the time, and drop kick 0.01% of the time. A few years ago I would have set the drop kick percentage at zero, but I have seen teams experimenting with drop kicks as onside kicks, and yes you can have an onside kick after a safety. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-nfl-game-end-on-a-safety/928810/12 "2020-12-29T05:40:22Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > By my reading, a safety that occurs with no time left in the half ends the half, except if the safety resulted from a foul. That is, if the offensive team commits a foul in its end zone, that’s automatically a safety. (It seems that’s true whether or not the ball carrier is in the end zone, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.) In that one case, the defensive team can opt to receive the free kick in an untimed play. But is that the only time an untimed kick after a safety can happen? Some of this reading is a tad confusing.