How Long Are NFL Games Usually?
How long are NFL games usually? This question is often asked by first-time viewers of the sport. The answer, like many things related to the NFL, is complicated.
Introduction
How long are NFL games usually? The answer might surprise you. NFL games last a little over three hours, but when you factor in timeouts, commercials, and other stoppages of play, the average game runs about four hours.
Length of an NFL Game
The average NFL game lasts about three hours, including halftime. There are four quarter in an NFL game, each lasting 15 minutes. There is also a 12-minute break between the second and third quarters, and a two-minute break between the first and second and third and fourth quarters. NFL games usually start at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Sundays.
Preseason
NFL preseason games are typically shorter than regular season or playoff games. The reason for this is that teams generally use their starters for fewer snaps in preseason games, so the game time is reduced.
The average length of an NFL preseason game was 2 hours and 43 minutes in 2017, according to Statista. This is compared to the average regular season game time of 3 hours in 2017.
Regular Season
The average NFL game lasts about three hours, but there is a wide range in game lengths. The shortest games are typically those that go into overtime, while the longest games are generally low-scoring affairs with few offensive possessions. Here is a look at the average length of NFL games by season since 2010:
2010: 3 hours, 5 minutes
2011: 3 hours, 4 minutes
2012: 3 hours, 2 minutes
2013: 3 hours, 11 minutes
2014: 3 hours, 8 minutes
2015: 3 hours, 6 minutes
2016: 3 hours, 8 minutes
2017: 3 hours, 7 minutes
2018: 3 hours
Playoffs
The average length of an NFL game is about three hours, but games can run longer. Playoff games are usually longer than regular season games, and the Super Bowl is the longest of all.
According to data from the NFL, the averagelength of a regular season game in 2018 was 3 hours and 7 minutes. The shortest game was 2 hours and 36 minutes, while the longest was 3 hours and 44 minutes.
Playoff games tend to be even longer. For example, the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 lasted 3 hours and 33 minutes. The longest NFL game on record was the Super Bowl between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins in 1983, which lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes.
Conclusion
The average NFL game time has been slowly but steadily creeping up in recent years. In 2017, the average game time was just over 3 hours, which is up from 2010, when the average game time was just under 3 hours. There are a number of factors that have contributed to this increase in game time, including more commercials, more challenges/replays, and longer halftime breaks. While some fans may complain about the length of games, it doesn’t seem like the NFL is in any hurry to make changes that would shorten the average game time.
