How Much Playing Really Goes On in an NFL Game?

The big Sunday game is on, and you’ve settled into your comfy recliner for the afternoon battle between two league favorites. With a chicken wing in one hand and a beer in the other, you prepare for the nonstop action on the gridiron.

But there is something going on here. Something that you probably don’t realize in amongst the endless commentaries, replays, reviews, commercials, and stats. This game may appear long and full of action, but in reality, it adds up to the length of half a sit-com minus the commercials. This is the true length of an NFL game.

There is a secret hidden during NFL games. We may not realize it, but there is very little football that is actually played. Yes, the players run around, return to the huddle, and repeat, but the time the players actually play the game is astoundingly small. Eleven minutes. Yes, in a 3-hour game, the time the ball is in play equals about eleven minutes.

It’s not anyone’s fault. That’s just the way the game is played. I’m sure if you examined baseball (which should be taken into consideration), the time the ball is in play is probably even less. That is not the case. Baseball play time runs a little over 17 minutes for a 3-hour game. But we’re talking about football, and this infographic will help break it down for you, even if you want to watch every game.