Why did the clock run so much before my snap?

After a run or a catch in bounds the clock keeps running while your offense gets set. The game takes the time from the real play the result came from, between 8 and 22 seconds. A spike costs at most 6 seconds; any other call is snapped in time to beat the clock with about 3 seconds to spare.

Is the result random?

It is drawn from real plays, but the draw is seeded by the drive and the calls made so far. The same calls on the same daily drive always give the same results, for everyone. That keeps daily scores fair.

Can I go for two or kick an extra point?

The conversion is chosen for you: you go for two only when it ties the game, and kick the extra point otherwise. Kickoffs, onside kicks and the opponent drive after yours are covered by the final win chance.

How to Play the Two Minute Drill Game

Rules for the daily two minute drill game: the eight play calls, how the clock runs, timeouts, field goals, how each call is graded and what goes into your Drill Score.

Last updated: 16 Oct 2026

You take over the offense on a real NFL drive from the 4th quarter, with the score, clock, field position and timeouts the real team had. Your job is the same as theirs: get the points you need before time runs out.

The situation

The scoreboard shows everything a play caller cares about:

Score and clock. You are tied or trailing by up to 8 points with between 0:30 and 3:00 left.
Down, distance and ball spot. You start on 1st down, anywhere from backed up at your own goal line to around midfield.
Timeouts. The yellow bars. Each one stops the clock once.
Win chance. Your chance of winning the game if you make the best call from here.

The eight calls

Call	What it is
Inside run	Between the tackles. Safe, short, keeps the clock running.
Outside run	To the edge. A bit more yardage, and the runner can get out of bounds.
Short middle	Quick throw over the middle. High completion rate, clock keeps running after a catch.
Short sideline	Quick out toward the sideline. The receiver can step out to stop the clock.
Deep middle	Shot down the seam. Big gains, more incompletions and interceptions.
Deep sideline	Go route or deep out. Big gains and a chance to stop the clock, but the lowest completion rate.
Spike	Throw the ball into the ground to stop the clock. Costs a down, so not on 4th down.
Field goal	Available up to a 66-yard try. The button shows the distance and the historical make rate.

When you call a run or pass, the game picks a real NFL play of that type, run late in a half in the same part of the field, and you get its result: the yards, a sack, an incompletion, a turnover. The play log under the game tells you which real game it came from.

How the clock works

Incomplete pass, spike, timeout, or out of bounds inside 2:00: the clock stops and your next snap costs no time.
Run or catch in bounds: the clock keeps running. Before your next snap, the time it took the real team to get set runs off, between 8 and 22 seconds. A spike gets the snap off in at most 6 seconds.
Out of bounds before 2:00: the clock restarts on the referee's signal, so about half the usual time runs off.
Two-minute warning: the clock stops at 2:00 the first time a play reaches it.
Timeouts: tick the timeout box before a call to spend a timeout right after the play, if the clock is still running.

If the clock hits 0:00 before a snap, the drive is over.

When the drive ends

The drive ends on a touchdown, a field goal (made or missed), an interception, a fumble, a turnover on downs, a safety or when time runs out. After a touchdown the game kicks the extra point, or goes for two when two points tie the game.

Scoring isn't the whole story. If you score with 1:30 left, the opponent gets the ball back. Your final win chance accounts for that, using how often NFL teams have answered with a field goal or touchdown after a kickoff with that much time left.

Grades and Drill Score

Before each snap the game plays out the rest of the drive hundreds of times for every call you could make and estimates your win chance after each one. Your call is compared with the best:

🟩 Best call: within 1 point of the best call's win chance
🟨 Close: gave up 1 to 4 points
🟧 Costly: gave up 4 to 10 points
🟥 Big miss: gave up more than 10 points

Each call scores 100 minus 6 for every point of win chance given up, never below zero. Your Drill Score is the average over the drive.

Daily drive and practice

The daily drive changes at midnight US Eastern time and is the same for everyone. You get one try, and your result, streak and share grid are saved in your browser. About every other day the drive comes from the current NFL season, often from the past week.

Practice mode gives you a random drive from 2023 onward, as many times as you like. Practice results don't touch your streak.

At the end of the daily drive, Share result copies a spoiler-free grid of your grades plus your Drill Score, ready to paste into a group chat or social post.