An NFL Clock Can Lose 10 Seconds With No Play Run. Only The Offense Pays It.

A penalty normally costs yards. After the two-minute warning of either half, some of them cost time instead, and the time is often the part that decides the game.

The illegal acts

Rule 4, Section 7, Article 1 says a team is not permitted to conserve time after the two-minute warning of either half by committing any of these acts:

• 01a foul by either team that stops the clock during any dead ball period
• 02intentional grounding
• 03an illegal forward pass
• 04throwing a backward pass out of bounds
• 05spiking or throwing the ball in the field of play after a down has ended, except after a touchdown
• 06illegally batting or kicking the ball out of bounds

What it costs

The yardage penalty is a loss of five yards unless a larger distance penalty is applicable. When the act is by the offense while time is in, officials also run 10 seconds off the game clock and reset the play clock to 30 seconds before the ball can be put in play.

The outs

An offense with timeouts remaining may use one in lieu of the 10-second runoff, in which case the game clock starts on the snap. The defense always has the option to decline the runoff and have the yardage penalty enforced, but declining the yardage declines the runoff with it.

There can never be a 10-second runoff against the defensive team.

The other two runoffs

Rule 4, Section 7, Article 2 adds a 10-second runoff to the yardage for a substitution violation after the two-minute warning. Article 4 applies one after a replay reversal or a nullified foul that would have left the clock running. Neither team may decline that one, but either team can prevent it with a timeout.