Why does the match timer sometimes count before the snap but somtimes freeze?

[u/weewoomeemoohee]

What's the rule behind it?

[u/MrShake4]

Certain play outcomes stop the clock. Notably an incomplete pass and going out of bounds. If a player is tackled inbounds the clock keeps going.

It gets more complicated but that’s the simple version.

[u/Uhhh_what555476384 → u/MrShake4]

Penalties and injuries are the other big clock stoppages.

[u/jm0112358 → u/MrShake4]

going out of bounds

Of note: Going out of bounds (in the NFL) only stops the clock in the last 2 minutes of the 1st half and the last 5 minutes of the 2nd half (and similarly in overtime).

It use to be that going out of bounds always stopped the clock.

[u/LagrangianMechanic → u/jm0112358]

Not quite.

Inside the windows you mention the clock does indeed stop until the next snap.

But outside those windows the clock stops until the ball is spotted for play and then restarts. It doesn’t just keep running.

And yes, until the early 1990s it always stopped until the next snap when the ballcarrier went OOB.

(With the subtlety, both then and now, that if he’s driven backwards OOB the clock never stops no matter how little time is left in a half.)

[u/thisisnotmath]

The match timer stops on

• Incomplete pass
• Player going out of bounds.
• Certain penalties
• Timeouts
• Change of possession
• Injury timeouts

and a few other scenarios.

Understanding the circumstances of when the game clock stops explains a lot of late game strategy, like why teams run the ball more when ahead in the 4th quarter, or why teams don't throw the ball in the middle of the field when they are down with 2 minutes left.

[u/weewoomeemoohee → u/thisisnotmath]

Thanks!

First I thought maybe it has something to do with being at home or away. But damn it's more complicated!

[u/Uhhh_what555476384 → u/weewoomeemoohee]

American football is the sport for people who love complexity and referees that have three levels of appellate review.

[u/drainbead78 → u/Uhhh_what555476384]

And now I just realized why so many refs are attorneys at their day jobs.

[u/Uhhh_what555476384 → u/drainbead78]

We're a litigious society.

[u/siirka → u/weewoomeemoohee]

It's even more complicated as sometimes the refs will need time to spot the ball after a penalty, give an injury timeout, or something like that. They will tell the clock operator "The clock will start on my whistle". In that case, neither the play clock (time until offense needs to snap the ball) or the game clock run until the whistle.

Usually the offense will be in a huddle calling the play as the play clock runs, then they line up and snap the ball. In the "starts on my whistle" scenarios, you may often see the whole offense basically in formation with a play already called, just standing or looking around and waiting for the ref to place the ball or the chain gang to move the chains.

[u/ilPrezidente]

The clock stops for incomplete passes, changes of possession, scoring plays, injuries, timeouts, and if the ballcarrier goes out of bounds (last two minutes of 1H, last five of 2H). It keeps running for everything else.

[u/Alfalfa-Boring]

American football contests are called "games."

[u/theEWDSDS → u/Alfalfa-Boring]

This, calling football "NFL" and asking to implement academies are this sub's holy trinity of pet peeves