How to play

Everything you need to run a two-minute drill like an NFL play-caller — from your first snap in Rookie mode to every option in the Pro playbook.

The goal

Each drive starts from a real moment late in the fourth quarter of an NFL game: the real score, clock, down, distance, field position and timeouts. Your job is to win the game. You call the plays on offense, the look on defense if the other team gets the ball back, and the kicking decisions in between. The game continues until the clock hits 0:00 — after a score you kick off and defend, so a lead is never safe until it is over.

You are not graded on what happens. You are graded on whether your call gave your team the best chance to win. A well-chosen pass that falls incomplete is still a good call.

Your first snap in Rookie mode

Read the scoreboard. Who is ahead, how much time is left, and how many timeouts each side has (the three bars under each team).
Read the situation line. Down and distance, where the ball is, and whether the clock is running or stopped.
Pick a tempo if the clock is running: hurry up saves time (about 18 seconds between snaps), a huddle takes about 31, and milking the clock takes about 35.
Call the play. Run the ball, short pass, deep shot — plus the clock or kicking button that fits (spike, timeout, field goal, punt or kneel). On a keyboard, press 1–6.
Read the result card. You'll see how your win chance moved, your grade, and a Coach's Note that explains the best option.

The Pro playbook

Turn on Pro in the header to unlock all 27 calls. Your choice is remembered.

Rookie mode puts the six calls that matter most on big buttons; Pro opens all 27 plays plus receiver targets and clock controls.

Runs

Outside run, Off-tackle, Inside run, Up the middle, QB sneak, QB keeper. Outside, off-tackle and inside runs can go to the strong or weak side.

Passes

Quick passes (strong, weak or middle), screens, deep shots (strong, weak or middle), play-action short and deep, rollouts and the Hail Mary (only when time is almost gone or on a last-gasp fourth down). After choosing a pass, pick a target. Each card shows the receiver's real season numbers to that point: catch rate, yards per target and interception rate. Picking a receiver who catches more often helps; “Let him read it” gives a league-average result. Tick Get out of bounds to stop the clock more often at the cost of a few yards and a slightly lower completion rate.

RPO and trick plays

Run-pass options to either side, plus the flea-flicker, end-around, WR pass and direct snap. Trick plays are rare in the NFL for a reason — but sometimes they are worth it.

Clock and kicking

The Clock tab has timeout, spike, field goal (with distance and make probability), punt and kneel.

Defense and special teams

When the other team has the ball, choose a look before each snap: blitz, load the box or play it soft. If the clock is running and you are trailing, tick Timeout first to save the seconds you'll need on your next drive. When they line up to kick, choose whether to go for the block. Prefer to just watch? Let the coordinator call it plays out their drive for you; those snaps are not graded.

After you score, choose the extra point or a two-point try, then the kickoff: to the returner, through the end zone for a touchback, or — only if you are behind — an onside kick.

How grading works

Before the result of a play is shown, the engine simulates the rest of the game about 300 times for every option you could have chosen, then runs a second, larger batch on the top options and your call. All options share the same random numbers, so the differences between them are not just noise. Your call's cost is the best option's win chance minus yours.

Grades compare your call with the best option's win chance. The example table shows how to read “How every option scored”.

At the end, your total cost is compared with 4,000 simulated NFL play-callers. Each simulated coach picks plays in proportion to how often real NFL coaches make that call in that situation, with skill ranging from coin-flip to near-perfect. “Better than 68% of NFL play-callers” means your choices cost less win chance than 68% of them.

Clock management cheat sheet

Median seconds that run off between snaps when the clock keeps running, measured from late-game NFL drives since 2016.

Incomplete passes, plays out of bounds, scores, changes of possession and timeouts stop the clock. Runs and catches in bounds don't.
The two-minute warning stops the clock at 2:00 once per half.
The play clock is 40 seconds; if the game clock runs out before the snap, the game is over.
A field goal is the yard line plus 17 yards.

Field goal make probability by distance, from the game's logistic model fit to every NFL attempt since 2021. Distance = yard line + 17.

Glossary

Two-minute drill: The hurry-up offense a team runs at the end of a half when it needs points before time runs out.
Down and distance: You get four downs (plays) to gain the yards to go. Gain them and you get a new set of four downs — a first down.
Yard line: “Own 30” means 70 yards from scoring; “their 30” means 30 yards away.
Hurry up: No-huddle: line up and snap fast. Saves clock, about 15–18 seconds between snaps.
Huddle: Normal huddle: about 30 seconds between snaps when the clock is running.
Milk it: Use the play clock: about 35 seconds between snaps. Burns time when you are ahead.
Timeout: Stops the clock immediately. You have three per half.
Spike: The QB throws the ball into the ground to stop the clock. Costs a down.
Kneel: The QB takes a knee to run clock. Only useful when you are ahead.
Strong side: Strong side: toward the tight end and the extra blocker.
Weak side: Weak side: away from the tight end.
Screen: A short throw behind the line to a back with blockers out in front.
Play action: The QB fakes a handoff first to freeze linebackers, then throws.
Rollout: The QB moves outside the pocket before throwing — fewer sacks, half the field.
RPO: Run-pass option: the QB reads one defender after the snap and either hands off or throws.
Hail Mary: A long, high heave into the end zone. Only shows up when time is nearly gone.
Flea-flicker: Handoff, pitch back to the QB, then a deep throw. High risk, high reward.
End-around: A receiver takes the ball sweeping around the edge.
Direct snap: The snap goes straight to a running back.
QB sneak: The QB pushes straight ahead behind the center. Best on 3rd or 4th and inches.
Blitz: Send extra pass rushers. More sacks, but holes behind them.
Load the box: Bring an extra defender near the line to stop the run.
Play it soft: Drop extra defenders into deep coverage. Gives up short stuff, takes away the big play.
Touchback: Kick through the end zone; the other team starts at its own 35.
Onside kick: A short kick the kicking team tries to recover. Only allowed when trailing; usually fails.
Two-point conversion: Run one play from the 2-yard line for two points instead of kicking for one.
Win chance: The share of simulated finishes your team wins from this exact moment, with ties counted as half a win.

Ready? Play today's drive or warm up in practice mode.

Your stats

Score distribution