Football play calling game
You have the ball late in the game and a decision to make every snap. Call the play, manage the clock, and see how much your call moved your chance of winning.
Sideline: call the plays
Open today's drive. Everyone gets the same situation, so you can compare your grade with a friend's.
Play SidelineWhat you do in Sideline
- Read the situation. Score, clock, down and distance, timeouts, and the front and coverage the defense shows before the snap.
- Pick a formation, then a play. Runs, quick passes, dropbacks, play action, screens and deep shots, each with a note on what it is good against.
- Run the clock on purpose. Use Timeout, Spike or Kneel, and choose Normal, Hurry or Milk tempo.
- Make the fourth-down call. Go for it, kick a field goal or punt. After a touchdown, choose the extra point or the two-point try.
- Get graded. Every call gets a letter grade and a reason, and the drive gets an overall grade you can share as a card.
Why the grade ignores the result
Football plays are noisy. A well-chosen pass can be dropped and a poor one can get open by luck. Sideline plays every snap out with a simulation, then grades the decision by win probability: how much it raised or lowered your chance of winning compared with the other calls you had. Tap Details after a snap to see the reason and the best call.
Modes and levels
- Daily drive. One spot a day, the same for everyone.
- Practice. Unlimited drives, and you can leave any time.
- Survivor. Hard spots, one call each. Give up too much win chance and the run ends.
- Season. Eight games, then playoffs for the top four, calling the key drives of each game.
- Four levels. Rookie shows win chances on fourth down and gives you 40 seconds a snap. Pro, All-Pro and Legend cut the help and the play clock.
Sideline is an unofficial fan game. It is not affiliated with the NFL or any team and uses no logos.
Learn the decisions first
New to calling plays? These short guides cover the spots Sideline grades hardest.
More games and guides
Questions
What is a football play-calling game?
A game where you are the coach or play caller instead of the quarterback. You choose the formation and the play each snap and manage the clock, and the game plays it out. Sideline is one you can play free in your browser.
How does Sideline grade my calls?
By win probability. After each snap it compares how much your call changed your chance of winning with the other plays you could have picked. A good call that fails can still grade well, and a bad call that works does not.
Is it a football strategy game or a simulation?
Both. You make the strategy decisions (play, tempo, timeouts, going for it on fourth down) and a simulation decides what happens. The same call can work or fail, so you learn what is likely to work, not what worked once.
How long does a drive take?
About five minutes. The daily drive is the same spot for everyone, and you can play practice drives, Survivor and an eight-game Season after that.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It is free. There are no accounts, purchases, ads or prizes. Your streak and stats stay in your browser.
Is Sideline affiliated with the NFL?
No. It is an unofficial fan game. It is not affiliated with the NFL or any team, and it uses no logos.