How to Play Two Minute Drill
One real NFL drive, and you make the calls. Here is everything on the board and what it does — then read the strategy guide for when to use it.
The situation you are handed
Every drive starts from a real moment in a real game. Before you call anything, read the state of the game — it decides which calls are even worth considering:
- Score and time. Are you behind, ahead or tied? How long is left, and is there a two-minute warning still to come?
- Down and distance. 2nd & 3 gives you two chances to move the chains. 3rd & 12 gives you one, and it needs to be a chunk play.
- Field position. Your own 5 is a minefield — a sack there can end the game. Past midfield, mistakes cost far less.
- Timeouts. Each one is a free clock stop. They are a resource, and wasting them is one of the most common ways to lose a drive.
- The opponent. Team and player strength (including the quarterback and the defense’s tendencies) shifts how safe each call is.
The 27 calls
Plays are grouped into four families: Run, Pass, RPO and Trick. Pick a family, then pick the specific call. Some calls have a strong-side and weak-side version; the side that is strong is the side with the extra blocker, so “strong side” runs follow the tight end and the extra bodies.
Run
| Call | Side | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Outside run | Strong / weak | The back bounces it to the edge. Boom-or-bust; loses yardage when the edge is set. |
| Off-tackle run | Strong / weak | Between the tackle and the tight end. The bread-and-butter short-yardage run. |
| Inside run | Strong / weak | Between the tackles. Safe, modest gains, keeps the clock moving. |
| Up the middle | — | Straight ahead. Best when you need a yard or two and cannot afford a loss. |
| QB sneak | — | Shortest yardage on the board. The tool for 4th & inches. |
| QB keeper | — | A designed run for the quarterback. Bigger upside, bigger risk. |
Pass
| Call | Side | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| RPO | Strong / weak | Run-pass option. A compromise: safer than a dropback, better than a stuffed run. |
| Quick pass | Strong / weak / middle | Short and fast. High completion rate, low yards, low sack risk. |
| Screen | — | A pass behind the line. Beats a blitz; loses to a disciplined defense. |
| Deep shot | Strong / weak / middle | The chunk play. Lowest completion rate, highest interception risk. |
| Play-action short | — | Fake the run, throw short. Nudges linebackers and buys a cleaner window. |
| Play-action deep | — | Fake the run, throw deep. The classic shot off a run-heavy look. |
| Rollout | Strong / weak | The quarterback moves the pocket. Buys time and can get him out of bounds. |
| Hail Mary | — | A heave at the gun. Only on the board when there is almost no time left. |
Trick
| Call | What it is |
|---|---|
| Flea-flicker | A handoff and a throw back. Big-play potential, high risk. |
| End-around | A receiver takes the handoff. Misdirection against a fast defense. |
| Receiver pass | A trick throw from a non-quarterback. Rarely the best call. |
| Direct snap | The ball goes straight to the runner. A change-up, not a staple. |
The special plays
These are not on the menu all the time. They appear when the situation calls for them, and choosing them is a decision in itself:
- Field goal. Appears on fourth down in range. Worth roughly three points now against the chance of scoring more later — the classic fourth-down trade. See fourth down.
- Punt. The default when you are out of range and not desperate: give the ball back, far from your goal line.
- Spike. Kills the ball immediately to stop the clock. Costs a down; buys time.
- Kneel down. Loses a yard and runs the clock. The correct call when you are ahead and simply running out the game.
- Timeouts. Free clock stops. Use them to stop the clock, not to think.
Playing a snap
- Read the situation shown above the field.
- Pick a family, then the call.
- The snap plays out — a result is drawn from the situation and your call, and the drive updates: score, clock, down and distance, field position.
- You get the grade for the call you made, plus its win-chance swing. Then you call the next one.
When the drive ends, you get the result, the grades for every call, and how your choices compare with the way the game’s reference play-caller would have called it. Next: how scoring works.