Question 1

I thought running out of bounds stops the clock.

Accepted Answer

It does, briefly. Outside the last 2 minutes of the first half and the last 5 minutes of the game, the clock restarts on the referee's ready-for-play signal once the ball is set. Inside those windows it stays stopped until the snap. And if the runner's forward progress was stopped in bounds, the clock never stops at all.

Question 2

Does a first down stop the clock?

Accepted Answer

Not in the NFL. The clock keeps running on a first down (it may pause for a measurement and restarts on the ready signal).

Question 3

When is throwing it away intentional grounding?

Accepted Answer

Grounding needs all of it: the passer is still inside the tackle box, under pressure, and throws a forward pass that is not in the direction and vicinity of an originally eligible receiver. Outside the pocket, the pass only has to reach or cross the line of scrimmage.

Question 4

What makes it a catch?

Accepted Answer

Secure control of the ball, then a body part in bounds (two feet, or one body part other than the hands), then a football move or enough time to make one. All three, in that order.

Question 5

What is the 10-second runoff?

Accepted Answer

Inside the final two minutes of a half, after the two-minute warning, certain clock-stopping events caused by the offense (a foul, an injury, a replay reversal that changes a ruling) can cost 10 seconds off the clock, and the game or half can end on it. The defense can decline the runoff for a foul or an injury, but not for a replay reversal; a timeout can buy the 10 seconds back.

Question 6

Can you really kick a field goal on a free kick after a fair catch?

Accepted Answer

Yes. After a fair catch, the receiving team may take a free kick from the catch spot, no rush (defense lines up 10 yards away); through the uprights is 3 points. Cameron Dicker made one for the Chargers in December 2024, the first success since 1976.

Question 7

How is overtime different in the playoffs?

Accepted Answer

Both teams are now guaranteed a possession in the regular season too (2025 change, 10-minute period); the old sudden-death walk-off on a first-possession touchdown is gone. Playoff overtime is untimed: they play until someone wins, 15-minute periods.

Ask Tito — Rules Quant

You make the call