Average NFL game length by year

Sep 18, 2017

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  Kevin SeifertESPN Staff Writer

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  • ESPN.com national NFL writer
  • ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013
  • Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008

The clock was moving. It began ticking the moment Martavis Bryant crossed into the end zone. It continued as Bryant took a knee and began to celebrate by "throwing dice" with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates Antonio Brown and Eli Rogers.

The clock kept moving as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin signaled for a two-point conversion attempt and as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger searched for the play on his armband. Then, as Roethlisberger was getting players in position on the line, it hit zero. Flags flew. The foul: delay of game on the Steelers.

That scene, in the first quarter of the Steelers' 26-9 victory against the Minnesota Vikings, illustrated the impact of the NFL's offseason efforts to improve the pace of games. One of its time-saving tools is an instruction for referees to start the 40-second game clock immediately after touchdowns, effectively limiting the length of celebrations even through restrictions on their content have been relaxed.

Through nearly two full weeks of the season, the result of the league's efforts has been notable. The average time of games has been lower in Weeks 1 and 2 compared to the same time periods in 2015 and 2016, as the chart shows. Of Week 1's 15 games, 10 finished in less than three hours, and no game in Week 2 has gone longer than 3:16. (The numbers do not include Sunday’s 1:05 weather delay in Denver.)

Although it's difficult to unpack the decrease fully in a relatively small sample size, it should be attributed at least in part to changes that commissioner Roger Goodell suggested could shave as many as five minutes off an average time of game. (It reached 3 hours, 8 minutes last season.) The post-touchdown timing we saw Sunday in Pittsburgh is one of multiple factors likely at play. Among the others:

A new 40-second clock after PATs when there are no commercials. Per multiple officials who gave media seminars this summer, the clock begins the moment the kick or two-point conversion is complete. After 40 seconds, officials start a 25-second game clock for the kickoff. So in those situations, no more than 1:05 can pass between a PAT and a kickoff. If the kickoff team isn't lined up when the 25-second clock starts, officials are instructed to put the ball on the ground and be prepared to call delay of game if it expires.

The timing of halftime has been reorganized to minimize what the league referred to as "discretionary" time. A countdown of 13:30 begins when the second quarter clock hits zero and ends when the 25-second clock for the third quarter kickoff begins.

Replays are reviewed in the league's New York headquarters, a shift that over time the league believes will speed up the process. Referees are also permitted to announce the results before the television audience returns, if it is in commercial, rather than wait and cause further delay.

The NFL is more focused on the pace of game -- moving through dead time faster -- than reducing the actual length. But a successful effort would likely affect both.

The reality is that the NFL had seen its time of game creep up nearly six minutes in the past 10 years. (It was 3:02 in 2008.) An anecdotal Vox.com study revealed that game action occurs on roughly 8 percent of an average NFL broadcast, and the Wall Street Journal once estimated there to be action in 11 minutes of a three-plus-hour game.

The NFL isn't going to change its product fundamentally with this initiative, but it might well prove successful in shaving down some of the most obvious factors in the slowdown. The Steelers' penalty Sunday made the game a bit longer, but it should now serve as a valuable incentive to keep a better eye on the clock in future situations for both them and any other team watching.

In this case, Tomlin scrapped his plan for a two-point attempt. Rather than try for it from the 7-yard line, after a 5-yard penalty, he sent out place-kicker Chris Boswell for a 38-yard extra point.

The impact of some segments of this policy will be difficult to measure. The NFL is experimenting with split-screen commercials during replays, which could help bridge interest from the television audience, and is also minimizing the recurrence of two commercial breaks between scores and the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff. But the early numbers we can access are in, and they're encouraging. We shall stay tuned.

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A game of American football is 60 minutes long, with an additional 10-minute period if overtime is required. This only applies to the NFL; in college football, time is not kept during overtime. Instead, teams alternate possession from their opponent’s 25-yard line. The game lasts longer than 60 minutes in real time due to breaks in the action for penalties, reviews, and the allotted time between quarters. The hour is divided into four 15-minute quarters, making up the first and second half of the game.

Football games take much longer than an hour. Games can typically run two or even three hours in length, depending on if the game goes into overtime. Injuries and media timeouts can also account for large amounts of time that increase the overall length of the football game. Recent studies have shown that the average NFL game lasts around three hours in total.

Quarters And Halves

Football games consist of two 30-minute halves broken down into four 15-minute quarters for NFL and college football. The time between quarters and the halftime break will also account for additional time added to a football game.

The Game Clock

The game clock is used to keep track of time in each of the quarters.

However, the game clock is not always continuous and will stop for the following reasons:

• An incomplete pass
• A player runs out-of-bounds with the ball
• An injury occurs
• A timeout is called
• 2-minute warning

However, on plays in which a player is tackled in bounds, the game clock will continue to tick down. This is why in instances where a team is running out of time to tie the game up, they will often use plays in which it will be easy for the player with the ball to get out of bounds.

The Play Clock

The play clock keeps track of time between downs and is used throughout regulation time.

The play clock does not take time off the game clock. However, it does indicate how much time the offense has on any given down to run a play. If an offense fails to call a timeout or run a play by the time the play clock runs out, they are charged with a delay of game penalty. For both NCAA and NFL football, the play clock is 40 seconds beginning from the end of each play. A 25-second play clock is used after stoppages in play.

Overtime is an extra quarter used to decide a winner when the game is tied at the end of regulation. Overtime lasts 10 minutes in the NFL, but in NCAA football, there is no game clock running during the overtime period. In the NFL, there is only one sudden death overtime, meaning the first team to score a touchdown wins. Teams can also score a field goal to take the lead. However, if the score is still even by the time the game clock runs out, the game will result in a tie. Both teams are guaranteed a possession on offense in the playoffs, so overtime may take longer.

In the NCAA, both teams will have a chance to score in each overtime, and overtime will continue until a winner is decided. 

The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl decides who is crowned the champion of the NFL season, so naturally, there’s increased fanfare surrounding the event. Most notably, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is far longer than the average halftime intermission. Due in large part to this halftime show, the Super Bowl typically lasts close to four hours. The Super Bowl has the same length of quarters as any other NFL game. The halftime show typically lasts about 15 minutes, with the halftime break a total of 30 minutes, contributing to this increased game length. 

FAQ

What was the longest football game of all time?

In NCAA football, the longest game occurred on October 23, 2021, in a battle between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini. This game was a low-scoring affair that took a record nine overtime periods to decide a winner. In the end, Illinois took home the victory with a final score of 20-18, securing a game-winning two-point conversion in the 9th overtime. The longest NFL football game was a matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game on Christmas of 1971. The game took seven hours and eight minutes to complete, with over 82 minutes of gameplay. Since this was a playoff game, the game could not end in a tie.

Can an American football game end in a tie?

Yes, an NFL game can end in a tie during the regular season if neither team has scored in the allotted overtime period. NCAA football games cannot end in a tie, as there are multiple overtime periods that are not timed. NFL games ending in ties are uncommon, but it usually happens a few times each season. In the NFL playoffs, games are not permitted to end in a tie, so additional overtime periods will be added if necessary.

How long is overtime in the NFL?

The NFL overtime period is 10 minutes long. The overtime period was previously 15 minutes long, but was changed to 10 minutes for the 2017 season. If no team is declared the victor by the end of the 10-minute overtime period, the game will end in a tie. However, if it is a playoff game, the game will continue with additional 10-minute overtime periods until a winner is decided.

How long does the average football game last NFL?

How long is an actual NFL game?