Football games how long

Usually, a host will be fielded out in the arena to interview the MVP of the game and the winning coach, including the best-losing player and coach. A variety of factors influences the length of every NFL game.

These factors include the following:. If the football game is highly intense, and there is constant back-and-forth play between the two teams, the match will be longer than usual NFL games. Most often, when the score is close during the dying minutes of the game, the team lagging behind will call for timeouts.

The coach will try to preserve the game clock so that his team can have more time to get the ball to even or get over the score of the opposing team. If his players are in the offense, they will also try to spike or get the ball out of bounds to preserve the game clock. This strategy will create a slow game flow and can easily add 30 minutes to the total game time. If an opposing team decides to use an offensive strategy of just passing the ball, it will result in a game that is longer than usual.

But if a team uses the offensive tactic of running the ball, it will result in fast plays and shorter game time. A game that has more passes than runs will result in several usual stops of the game clock.

Conversely, running plays will result in a more fluid game as clock stoppages will be at the minimum. Running games are often much shorter than those dominated by passing plays. An NFL game could also get longer if both teams want to use all of their game clocks before attempting to score.

However, if both teams try to score the minute they get the ball, the game time will be shorter. Every penalty in an NFL game considerably adds to the length of the match. A lot of time is consumed for the referees to check and announce a call. Statistics show that the most extended NFL games were played in It was also in when the average number of penalties per game was the highest in the league.

When a referee raises the penalty flag, a whistle is blown, and the game immediately stops. All referees will then assemble. The head referee takes up the call and announces the penalty for the information of the players and the crowd. The ball is then moved to conform to the penalty. This incident could take a minute or more. If there are conflicting penalty calls between the referees, time will be consumed to resolve their issues.

There are also cases wherein there are two foul calls in a single play. Coaches can also stretch the game time by arguing with the referees and disagreeing with their calls. While penalties and fouls ensure the integrity of an NFL football game, they can adversely affect the flow of the game and displease the crowd. These unavoidable results can stretch the game for hours on end. Replay reviews have improved the quality and integrity of NFL football games.

Referees and game officials use these reviews to ensure that the right calls are made every time. While they have improved the games a lot, they have also contributed to prolonged game times.

The NFL only adopted replay reviews in Previously, there were no opportunities to replay and review questionable calls from referees. Football games in the past carried on without so much delay and were much shorter than they are today. It might be sunny this hour and rainy the next. Lightning can also delay and prolong the match when it is close to the football field.

Rainstorms and heavy snow can also extend the game. Moisture will make it difficult for players to grip and throw the ball. Players are also forced to run the ball instead of passing them.

When a stand-alone primetime game is scheduled on Sunday, Monday and Thursday, there is a higher chance of extended game time than the average NFL game scheduled on a Sunday. There are times when such games have pregame activities, which serve as extra features.

Some of these games may also have a ceremony for a veteran player retiring his jersey. A halftime entertainment could also be an added feature, such as in Super Bowl matches. It is not unusual for Super Bowl matches to have long halftime breaks and scores of commercial breaks. Would you believe that there was an NFL game that lasted for more than seven hours?

The first half of 30 minutes is divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each. Our Blog. December 5, in Sports. Table of contents 1. Watch how long are football games college Video. Recent Comments. When you head over to watch one, you will want to know how…. Most high school football season Skidson.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. Previous Previous. Next Continue. Similar Posts. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.