Kill the Clock

The leading team has the ball and just runs (or kneels) every down. Can the trailing team still get it back, and with how much time?

2:00

Trailing team timeouts

Leading team's down

Play call on 1st–3rd down

4th down is always a punt.

Seconds per kneel

Seconds per run

Seconds per punt

Snap through the end of the return.

Clock burned between plays

The play clock is 40 s. Offenses usually snap with 1–3 s left, so 37–39 is realistic.

Clock is running now

On if the last play stayed in bounds (e.g. a first-down run). Off right after a timeout, incompletion, or change of possession.

Two-minute warning still to come

4th quarter with more than 2:00 left. Acts like a free timeout for the trailing team.

How it plays out

Trailing team uses its timeouts in the spots that save the most time.

Most clock the leader can kill

With your current play-time and clock settings. If the game clock is at or under this number, the trailing team never gets the ball back. Tap a cell to load it.

The standard rule

Coaches carry this as a "take a knee" chart. The usual NFL version: on 1st down, kneeling three times runs it out if the clock is under about 2:00 with no defensive timeouts, 1:20 with one, and 0:40 with two. Add roughly 40 seconds if the clock is already running before the first snap.

This calculator also counts the 4th-down snap and the time each play takes, so its numbers run a little higher than the rule of thumb. On 4th down the leader punts, and the trailing team gets the ball with whatever is left after the punt.

Not modeled: the 10-second runoff for offensive penalties after the 2:00 warning, first downs gained along the way (which reset the downs and usually end it), and fumbles.