Two-minute drill strategy
The last two minutes are a clock puzzle as much as a play-calling one. Here is how to think about it.
Know your budget
Before you pick a play, count: time left, timeouts, down and distance, and points needed. Time and timeouts tell you how many snaps you can afford. If you need a touchdown with 90 seconds and two timeouts, you can run several in-bounds plays. With no timeouts, every snap has to stop the clock or you need to hurry the next one.
Clock tools
- Timeout. Stops the clock for free, but you only have a few. Save them for when a play ends in bounds and time is short.
- Spike. Throwing the ball into the ground stops the clock and lets you set the next play. It uses a down.
- Sideline throws. A completed pass that ends out of bounds stops the clock. Incomplete passes do too, which is why trailing teams throw.
- Kneel. The leading team's tool. A kneel loses a few yards and burns time, and it cannot fumble in a meaningful way.
Tempo: hurry, normal or milk
Hurrying gets plays off fast, but it gives the defense less time to confuse you and gives you less time to read. Milking the clock does the opposite. Behind late, hurry. Ahead late, milk. In between, normal tempo and your best play often beat panic.
A short checklist
- How many snaps can I afford?
- Does this play stop the clock if it fails?
- Is it fourth down? See the fourth-down guide.
- Should I take a timeout now or save it?
Sideline: call the plays
Sideline starts most drives late in a game. Use Timeout, Spike, Kneel and tempo, then read why you got your grade.
Play SidelineMore: the football play calling game and how to call football plays. Sideline is an unofficial fan game, not affiliated with the NFL or any team.
Questions
What is the two-minute drill?
The way an offense plays the last couple of minutes of a half when it needs points: faster tempo, passes that stop the clock, and careful use of timeouts.
What stops the clock in football?
An incomplete pass, going out of bounds, a timeout, a spike, a penalty, a change of possession and a score. A play that ends in bounds keeps the clock running, apart from the final two minutes of a half in some leagues.
When should you spike the ball?
When you need to stop the clock and get set, and you have no timeouts to spare. It costs a down, so it is worth it only when the time saved matters more than the down.
When should you kneel?
When you are ahead and the other team cannot stop the clock enough to get the ball back. Kneeling burns time without risking a turnover. The math depends on their timeouts and the down.
How can I practice two-minute drills?
Sideline is a free browser game built around late-game drives. It has Timeout, Spike, Kneel and Normal, Hurry and Milk tempo, and it grades each call.