# NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 8, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267 "2014-01-08T12:29:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/81 "2014-01-13T02:48:35Z")
I am trying to envision ways to burn clock at the end of a game. Say you have a 2nd&8 at the opponent’s 40, a 7pt lead, and they have no timeouts left. You can easily get the clock down to :30 or so on 2 plays, maybe even :20 if you run time-consuming reverses. Now say you have 4th&5 with about :30 left and your left tackle obviously and deliberately goes early in a non-punt formation – it is inside a minute, are the officials required to do the ten-second run-off? If there is a second false start, would they have to cough up ten more for you? Could you just burn the clock on penalty run-offs, or do they only do one? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/82 "2014-01-13T03:13:04Z")
I assume you’ll get 1, but the refs will be in to your tactics, and refuse to do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/83 "2014-01-13T03:23:07Z")
No dice. “The defense always has the option to decline the 10-second runoff and have the yardage penalty enforced…” (source: [Section 7, article 1](http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/7_Rule4_Game_Timing.pdf) - caution: pdf). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/84 "2014-01-13T05:21:23Z")
> [@Kiros](#): > > But wouldn’t this be the absolute easiest thing to check with modern technology? Some sort of laser/camera combination on top of the goalposts? How 'bout just taller goalposts? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/85 "2014-01-13T16:19:07Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I am trying to envision ways to burn clock at the end of a game. Say you have a 2nd&8 at the opponent’s 40, a 7pt lead, and they have no timeouts left. You can easily get the clock down to :30 or so on 2 plays, maybe even :20 if you run time-consuming reverses. Now say you have 4th&5 with about :30 left and your left tackle obviously and deliberately goes early in a non-punt formation – it is inside a minute, are the officials required to do the ten-second run-off? If there is a second false start, would they have to cough up ten more for you? Could you just burn the clock on penalty run-offs, or do they only do one? > [@Enginerd](#): > > No dice. “The defense always has the option to decline the 10-second runoff and have the yardage penalty enforced…” (source: [Section 7, article 1](http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/7_Rule4_Game_Timing.pdf) - caution: pdf). And a false start probably makes you (a tiny bit) worse off: since you’re running down the clock, presumably you’ve made sure to get tackled in-bounds the previous play so the clock is still running before the punt. But the false-start penalty stops the clock, so there’s a few extra seconds on the clock when you do punt. [Though I think just letting the play clock run out and taking the delay of game penalty doesn’t hurt the punting team here, right?] ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/86 "2014-01-13T16:25:12Z")
I don’t know who the announcers were for the SF/Carolina game on the NFL radio network, but I laughed and then called my wife when one of them came out with this gem after the QB overthrew one of his receivers: “When your front leg is straight your balls tend to go higher.” ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/87 "2014-01-13T17:25:26Z")
My favorite part was Cam Newton acting like he gotten shot after number 55 of the Niners went flying offside near the goal line. European soccer players gave it a 9.4. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/88 "2014-01-13T17:34:49Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > My favorite part was Cam Newton acting like he gotten shot after number 55 of the Niners went flying offside near the goal line. European soccer players gave it a 9.4. I heard Coach K called and asked him to come demonstrate at Cameron next week… ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/89 "2014-01-14T02:30:49Z")
To be fair, that had to be the most ridiculous offside jump I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267/90 "2014-01-14T04:59:35Z")
I thought it was part of the Chinese Acrobats halftime show [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-divisional-round/678267.md?page=4)