Have you ever gone to an American football match to watch it live from the stadium? Then you certainly know that the game is long. But what is the actual length of an American football match?
If you have watched the game in person, you will know that apart from the gameplay, there are so many procedures in the game that makes it longer than the actual length.
So, we shall get to know what happens in an American football match that makes it longer and what is the actual span of the game.
How Long does an American Football Match Last?
The rules of the American football game state that the match timing is 60 minutes which is split into 4 quarters where each quarter spans 15 minutes. The game is conducted according to the rules and every quarter only spans 15 minutes. But if you include the timeouts, penalties, halftime, and change of possession intervals, then the actual game lasts more than 3 hours on average.
So why does a 60-minute game take 3 hours to complete? Let us find out the reason for such long match hours of an American football game.
Official Intervals and Halftime
Excluding the 60-minute game time, there are several intervals and timeouts in which the game clock is stopped. So, if you consider these timings, a match goes for more than an hour easily. We shall now discuss the official intervals and halftime breaks that increase the length of the game.
Two-minute intervals
Between the first and second quarters and the third and fourth quarters, an official two-minute intermission is given to the players. During this time, the game clock doesn’t run and these times are not taken into account.
So, if you consider these two-minute intermissions between the quarters, then it accounts for an extra four minutes.
Two-Minute Warning
Before the end of every half, when there are only two minutes to complete the half, the game clock will be stopped and players are given a break to discuss strategy.
Since the end of every half is crucial for the team’s victory, this two-minute timeout helps players to take a break and analyze how to end the first half or how to win the game in the final half.
If you consider these two minutes in each half, then it accounts for an extra four minutes which is not taken into consideration by the game clock.
Half-Time
At the end of the first half, the teams are given a slightly long break which lasts about 13 minutes in every NFL game. During these 13 minutes, players refresh themselves and discuss further gameplay in their respective locker rooms.
The play is suspended during the halftime break and you can witness some shows for entertainment during these 13 minutes.
So, when we consider this time, there is an extra 13 minutes in the actual gameplay and it is not accounted for with the game clock.
Apart from the Halftime and intervals, teams are given permission to take timeouts. Also, there are other instances where penalties may occur which takes some more time from the actual game. We shall discuss the length of these times and how it gets unaccounted for in the 60-minute game.
Timeouts
In NFL games, each team gets three timeouts in every half, each for two minutes which they can use when needed. If the team takes all three timeouts in the first half, it takes about 6 minutes extra. And in the second half, it takes about 6 minutes extra. Total, 12 minutes extra time for each team.
During this timeout, the game clock is stopped. When each team takes 12 minutes in timeouts, then it accounts for a total of 24 minutes extra.
Penalties
Penalties are another reason why the game clock stops and a considerable amount of time is spent.
Similarly, the clock stops for injuries, incomplete passes, and running out of the boundary. During all these incidents, the clock stops and a lot of unaccountable time are taken in the game.
All these timings add to the actual American football match and it causes an extension from the theoretical game time.
Overtime
If the game ends in a tie at the end of the second half, then an extra 10 minutes is taken to decide a winner. This 10-minute overtime is for the regular NFL season. As for the playoffs, it may take about 15 minutes and may take even longer if both teams get possession.
This is how an American football that is supposed to last only 60 minutes, becomes a three-hour game in reality.
Read Other Posts: Why is American Football Played in the Winter?
Is all American Football played in the same time span?
All American football games have the same 60 minutes of game time. But the extra times we discussed above will change for NFL games, Superbowl, and College Football. Especially, the timeouts, Halftime, and overtime game timings will change for each of these games.
Timeouts in NFL and Superbowl games take two minutes while college football takes only 90 seconds.
As for Halftime, NFL regular season takes only 13 minutes while college football takes 20 minutes. In the Superbowl season, the Halftime is longer due to the entertainment show that happens during it.
Overtime also changes for each of these games. In NFL regular, overtime spans only 10 minutes while in the Playoffs it takes 15 minutes to complete. In College Football, there is no time constraint during overtime.
These are the major changes in timing among the popular American football games played around the world.
Top 5 longest Matches in History
| Tennessee Titans vs Miami Dolphins | 2018 | 7 hours and 8 minutes (Due to poor weather conditions) |
| Baltimore Raven vs Chicago Bears | 2017 | 5 hours and 16 minutes (Due to poor weather conditions) |
| Miami 27 vs Kansas City 24 | 1971 | 82 minutes 40 seconds |
| Dallas Texans vs Houston Oilers | 1962 | 77 minutes 54 seconds |
| Cleveland Browns vs New York Jets | 1987 | 77 minutes 2 seconds |
Final Words
One of the most watched sports in the world is also among the games with the longest match timings. Although the official game time is one hour, additional time is spent on several formalities and breaks. So, if you are going to watch American football live, prepare for a 3-hour live match.
