# NFL : What's all the significance of time-outs in the last minutes of the game? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [January 30, 2024, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855 "2024-01-30T03:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/41 "2024-01-31T09:02:45Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > A soccer type situation, you’re up 1 goal, and can either have a rock solid 100% guarantee of holding the ball until time runs out, or score. If you score, they get the ball, and the guarantee is gone, but you’re up 2 with little time left. IMO, the time-management considerations in soccer work pretty differently from the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/42 "2024-01-31T12:19:16Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If a defensive player jumps before the snap, that’s a defensive penalty and just bleeds off more time as the down is replayed with the play clock ticking down again from the top of 40 seconds, **with the game clock also starting again** , Bolding mine. In the last five minutes of the game, any and every flag stops the game clock, and it doesn’t start again until the ball is snapped. This is true whether or not the penalty is accepted. From page 12 of the NFL rule book: > If the game clock is stopped before or after a down for a foul by either team, following enforcement or declination of a penalty, the game clock will start as if the foul had not occurred, except that the clock will start on the snap if: > > (1) the foul occurs after the two-minute warning of the first half; > (2) the foul occurs inside the last five minutes of the second half; That’s Section 3, Article 2, subheading (e) in the rule book. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/43 "2024-01-31T15:16:55Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > In the last five minutes of the game, any and every flag stops the game clock, and it doesn’t start again until the ball is snapped. This is true whether or not the penalty is accepted. That’s true, I forgot about that quirk. Mike Vrabel used that in a game once. > **[Mike Vrabel appeared to take an intentional penalty to stop the clock on...](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/mike-vrabel-appeared-to-take-an-intentional-penalty-to-stop-the-clock-on-titans-comeback)** > > Titans coach Mike Vrabel showed some quick thinking and a thorough knowledge of the NFL's timing rules late in Tennessee's comeback win over Houston on Sunday. > With the Titans trailing 30-29 and Houston having the ball on second-and-1 with 3:28 to play, Vrabel sent safety Josh Kalu onto the field, making him the 12th Titans defender. > By giving the Texans the first down on a penalty, Vrabel had stopped the clock without calling timeout. If the Texans had run the ball, there’s a good chance they would have picked up the first down anyway, but the clock would have kept running. Vrabel saved about 40 seconds with the penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/44 "2024-01-31T15:25:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > With the Titans trailing 30-29 and Houston having the ball on second-and-1 with 3:28 to play, Vrabel sent safety Josh Kalu onto the field, making him the 12th Titans defender. > > > By giving the Texans the first down on a penalty, Vrabel had stopped the clock without calling timeout. If the Texans had run the ball, there’s a good chance they would have picked up the first down anyway, but the clock would have kept running. Vrabel saved about 40 seconds with the penalty. I posed this question in the conference championship thread: Could the Texans have simply declined this penalty, keeping it 2nd and 1? Yes, the clock would still be stopped, but they would have short yardage and 2 downs to convert, thus getting back those 40 seconds and perhaps more time. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/45 "2024-01-31T15:41:57Z")
In the last minute of each half, a penalty that stops a running clock results in an option for a ten second runoff for the team accepting the penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/46 "2024-01-31T15:59:26Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m telling you, late game football is the best football. That’s when the **crazy** stuff happens. If you want Crazy Football, you’ve got to watch CFL. NFL has nothing on us. Most of you “crazy” stuff happens because someone screws up. Ours is _by design_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/d5BFaykcxGg/maxresdefault.jpg "CFL Montreal at Toronto - Wild Ending - October 29, 2010") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5BFaykcxGg) I actually saw this one live: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NHu55j7AQGM/maxresdefault.jpg "You’ll only see this unique punt in the CFL! #football #cfl #cflfootball") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHu55j7AQGM) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/47 "2024-01-31T16:35:20Z")
The NFL needs to look into adding some elements from the CFL. That’s entertainment! ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/48 "2024-01-31T16:48:11Z")
There’s been a lot of talk about defensive time outs but little about offensive time outs As mentioned above a team needing a field goal to win will run the clock down to 0:03 and call time out to stop the clock but there is also the case where on the penultimate play the team needs a lot of yards to get into field goal position and having a time out lets the team use the whole field so if they get the yards in the middle of the field they can call time out so that the clock does not expire as they run up to the line of scrimmage for the kick. And let’s not forget Super Bowl XLIX. Had Pete Carroll not had to burn a timeout early in the 2nd half, they could have run Marshawn Lynch at the goal line at the end of the game and if he didn’t make it stop the clock for one last play. As it was … well let’s not rehash that. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/49 "2024-01-31T17:03:14Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > As it was … well let’s not rehash that. I love to rehash that. 🙂 Belichick didn’t call a time out there, forcing Seattle to act quickly and ended up shooting themselves in the foot. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/50 "2024-01-31T17:22:20Z")
There’s also the famous example of Super Bowl 32, where the game was tied with just under 2 minutes left, and Green Bay intentionally allowed Denver to score, in order to preserve themselves time to try to come back. As for the general focus on discussing timeouts and clock management, I think part of it is that it’s a relatively straightforward and clear part of game strategy to discuss. Looking at the SF-Detroit game, there were dozens of coaching decisions that affected the outcome, having to do with game planning, play calling, defensive schemes, and so on. Most people (myself included) aren’t really equipped to discuss most of that, but we can understand the math that burning the timeout on offense means SF will run out the clock if they get the ball. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/51 "2024-02-01T04:50:54Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > Super Bowl 32, where the game was tied with just under 2 minutes left, and Green Bay intentionally allowed Denver to score, in order to preserve themselves time to try to come back. Also Superbowl 46 – the second Giants win over the Patriots – the Patriots let Ahmad Bradshaw score to give themselves time for a comeback. They were down by two, meaning the Giants could kill the entire clock and kick a game-winning field goal from the goal line as time expired. Interestingly, the Giants coaches hadn’t told the offense not to score. It didn’t come up in the huddle. The only reason Bradshaw made an attempt not to score was because Eli shouted “Don’t score!” _as he handed the ball off to him._ > **[Giants' Eli Manning admits he tried to stop game-winning touchdown](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/feb/06/super-bowl-giants-eli-manning-patriots)** > > New York Giants quarter-back Eli Manning said he tried to stop his team-mate Ahmad Bradshaw scoring the touchdown that won the Super Bowl It’s probably fair to call this the most undignified game-winning touchdown in Superbowl history: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/skU4W-1X7lU/hqdefault.jpg "Ahmad Bradshaw 6 Yard TD Run Super Bowl XLVI") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skU4W-1X7lU) ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/52 "2024-02-01T06:03:32Z")
I just want to say as a Giants fan the so called “miracle in the meadowlands” was, and still may be, simply referred to as “the fumble”. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2024, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855/53 "2024-02-01T07:23:52Z")
I’m not a Giants fan so sorry but no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-whats-all-the-significance-of-time-outs-in-the-last-minutes-of-the-game/996855.md?page=2)