Watching NFL games the past few weeks, I couldn’t help but wonder what an NFL game would look like if the rules governing play on the field were similar to what we had in my youth in sandlot football.
That would be none. Have at it. No rules. Snap the damn ball, match up, and do what it takes to play your position.
With the memory of that annual Turkey Bowl game of my youth in the back of my mind, I am reasonably confident that I haven’t been the only one in the USA yelling at televised NFL broadcasts, “C’mon! You’ve got to be kidding me!” The deplorable number of penalties and stoppages in play produces a slow, ponderous and, at times, insufferable game. By almost any definition of “entertainment,” some NFL games are coming up woefully short.
- Omaha! Hike. Stop. Flag. Encroachment. Move up five yards.
- Omaha! Hike. Stop. Flag. False start. Back up five yards.
- Omaha! Hike. Stop. Flag. Offsetting penalties. Replay the down.
- Omaha! Hike. Stop. Flag. Ineligible man downfield. Back up five yards.
- Omaha! Hike. Stop. Flag. Congrats to the home team — a 45-yard gain down to the 2-yard line on a pass that wasn’t caught. First and goal!
Honestly, not so thrilling. Disappointingly, bad NFL games can be excruciatingly ugly, sucking out the momentum the game was meant to deliver, especially at crucial moments. Even the announcers, though most may not say it outright, are clearly frustrated with the persistent stoppages in play.
September 29 Broadcasts
The games that prompted this blog were Cincinnati Bengals versus Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins versus New York Jets, both telecast on September 29, 2025.
In the Bengals versus Broncos game, a total of 22 penalties were called. Eighteen penalties were accepted by the teams:
- Bengals: 11 penalties for 65 yards.
- Broncos: 7 penalties for 72 yards.
In the Dolphins versus Jets game, the refs were again flag-happy — 22 flags and 19 accepted penalties. Flags on the Jets included six pre-snap penalties on offense.
- Jets: 13 penalties for 101 yards.
- Dolphins: 6 penalties for 40 yards.
Longtime NFL analyst and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman was in the broadcast booth for the Broncos’ 28-3 victory. Aikman rightly criticized the officiating, arguing that the penalty calls were negatively impacting the game’s flow. “Nothing brings a broadcast to a screeching halt more than these yellow flags,” he noted during the broadcast. “The product’s just not very good. I’m gonna be honest. I mean, this is ridiculous,” Aikman later added.
Yeah but …
I get it. The Spectacle of Game Day! The rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ National Football League!
NFL games are typically amongst the most-watched television shows each year. Through the first two weeks of the 2025 season, the league reported record-setting television ratings. The average TV and digital viewership numbers for games in the first two weeks were an astounding 20.7 million, representing a 4% increase compared to last season and a 17% increase from 2023. They’re the highest recorded ratings through two weeks on record for any NFL season.
Look, I absolutely agree that, when it’s rocking and rolling, the NFL is an action-packed and, at times, exhilarating sport, full of drama, unbelievable athletes, and jaw-dropping plays.
But there’s a disconnect, at least for me. The on-field action, which should be thrilling, is often anything but, bordering on boring. The phrase “fast-paced” is frequently associated with the NFL, yet how can we apply that description to today’s professional gridiron game?
If I were the commissioner or an owner, the fact that the game has gone cattywampus with frequent stoppages in play should be considered problematic. When the game grinds to a halt that many times, it’s a mind-numbing product. And boring equals, at some point, folks changing the channel. Particularly in blowouts.
I did a little homework …
So, what are you really signing up for when you settle into your stadium seat, your favorite armchair at home, or your local tavern?
To start, for every 15 seconds of action in an NFL game, there are five minutes of inaction.
Want to win a bet? Wager on which game takes longer — a Major League baseball game or an NFL game. The average NFL game now takes roughly three hours and 12 minutes. The average MLB game, the sport most commonly criticized for long game lengths, is now approximately two hours and 38 minutes. Yep, MLB games are now, on average, 34 minutes faster than NFL games.
But wait! The NFL has more action in those 192 minutes! Well, not exactly. I suppose it’s a matter of perspective, but the fact of the matter is that, according to recent studies, the ball is in play on the field for just 11 minutes in an average football game. As a percentage, that means roughly 94% of the average NFL broadcast is inaction.
Without question, the average of 12 accepted penalties per game (2024 statistics) doesn’t help with the pace of games. Moreover, the average game has 17 minutes of replays. Add to those numbers an average of 75 minutes of screen time watching players huddling, standing at the line of scrimmage, laying prone on the turf due to injury, or just milling around between snaps (plus shots of coaches, broadcasters, cheerleaders and fans in the stands), and we are focusing on actual football plays less than six percent of a broadcast.
We step aside for this …
Then there are the commercials. Critical though they are for bathroom breaks and trips to the fridge or concession stand (not to mention the immeasurable value added to the NFL’s coffers), commercials also chop up the watchability of a game. On average, approximately 25% of an NFL broadcast is commercials. That ends up being approximately 45 minutes of advertisements per broadcast. Breaking it down to a cringe-worthy stat, that’s 15-to-25 commercials per quarter, adding up to as many as 100+ commercials during a football game.
Taste great. Less fulfilling.
Eyeballs on the game
By all accounts, the NFL is a marketing behemoth. The powers-that-be have mastered the art of presentation and engagement, with meticulous attention to the spectator experience, both in-stadium and particularly on television. Sprinkle in watching a game you have a stake in — read: online sportsbooks — and you’ve got a contest that’s all the more exhilarating for millions of fans. But there’s even more allure! Fantasy football, a massive industry with gazillions of fans following players from various teams through the season, also compels eyeballs to a broadcast or the field. Without question, the NFL is wildly tantalizing on so many levels.
C’mon man!
But none of that marketing wizardry has to do with action on the field. Action is great. Inaction, not so much. Excessive flags and commercials (and I’d add parity, but that’s another topic for another blog) are negatively impacting the beast that is the NFL, taking the momentum out of too many games, particularly, it seems, in the fourth quarter.
The commercials aren’t going away. That’s a given. But we shouldn’t have to see the refs so darned much. According to the NFL, referees are typically accurate on 98.9% of calls. Yet, it’s understood from comments by players, coaches and broadcasters that the zebras could call holding on every play. That’s a paradox that doesn’t make sense.
Ahhh, but what if …
Not unlike the NFL, that long-ago tackle Turkey Bowl (ours annually held at the Municipal Center in District Heights, MD) was an exhibition of high-stakes (albeit local) drama, where athleticism, huddle strategy, bragging rights, brotherhood, and not a whole heckuva lot of humility ruled the day. Teams were assembled from scratch, with participants playing both offense and defense. It was a grand stage, often cold, muddy and raining — from the designated pass rushers (eligible to rush the quarterback after a cadence of three to five Mississippis) to triple reverses and the Statue of Liberty and other trick plays drawn up in the field’s dirt.
If we kids could play an entertaining game with no penalties being called, imagine what the NFL could do by freeing up the game flow and restructuring the penalty system. Of course, any changes would have to ensure the game is as safe as possible for participants.
At this point, on-field inaction has gotten out of hand. Like seemingly most of America, I love the NFL and will hunker down in front of the TV at game time. Still and all, the frequent stoppages in play have created, too often, a brutal watching experience, dragging down a truly great sport.
There is an old country saying that applies here. Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. Good grief, just let’em play.
Imagine how much fun announcers would have calling such a game. I daresay almost as much fun as we would have watching it.
Bill Hay
Lee … We must have played many Turkey Bowls together in our youth, as I never missed the yearly event, as a matter of fact, I believed Thanksgiving was a holiday for people to gather for a pickup football game.
You about covered everything that slows a game down, but you failed to mention injury timeouts and replays due to challenges. I tend to have an activity of some kind to work on during the game, so the game doesn’t seem to take as long as you pointed out.
You correctly pointed out all of the things that cause a game to last 3+ hours, commercials (some of which are replayed multiple times during the game) being a major contributor and half-time, which seems to be endless.
So … Here are a few thoughts to shorten an NFL game. Begin with a 5 minute half-time. Why does it have to be 20 minutes long? Save 15 minutes; okay maybe 10 minutes for half-time. People do need to use the bathroom.
Shorten a game to 30 minutes of actually playing time. Before you go crazy, with the clock stopping after each play. Once the ball is placed, the offensive team has 20 seconds to call a play and snap the ball. More actual football, less waiting for more. Look at what a time clock has done. And why do challenges take so long? Why can everybody watch a replay and determine if two feet are in bounds or the receiver caught the ball or it was incomplete, and the officials take 5-7 minutes to make the same decision? Totally unnecessary! More football in less time, most of the time. The only thing we can’t control are injuries.
Dino Volta
Lee, Great Blog. Couldn’t agree more. Way to lay it out there.
Reed Sprague
As I read your post, I found myself saying things like:
“Nailed it, Lee!”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I saw!”
“Wake me when the game’s (Fins v. NYJ) over!”
And I am baffled by the high broadcast/viewer ratings; however, remember that we live in a day & age of outright statistical/public information manipulation (attendance numbers exaggerated, political polling manipulated, outright denial of obvious facts, etc.).
I read somewhere (although I’m too lazy to verify it) that the average number of penalties per NFL game has doubled since the 1960s. YET, STILL we have the extremely dangerous full-body lunge tackles and blocks. The picky stuff is being penalized while dangerous & irresponsible physical play goes largely unnoticed by the officials (although the announcers tend to call it out when they see it). This is what happens when rich owners tinker with the game rather than making needed major changes and moving on. Bazillionaire NFL team owners love to tinker!
Give me a televised MLB game any day over an NFL game!
Don Weisburger
Morning, Lee … I don’t watch a lot of football. It doesn’t have the flow that I want from a game. Ex: hockey or soccer. Yet, it is the new “national pastime”. I don’t quite understand it.
Michael R Carlson
We only watch our hometown Seahawks, and maybe one other game in a week. And the broadcasts are terrible. Besides the points you mention, the continuous, meaningless commentary is a buzz kill. We put on music and only watch the visual of the broadcast, which helps.