How 2-Minute Drill works

2-Minute Drill puts you on the headset for the end of a real NFL game. You make every call, the snap is played out on the field with a real NFL play, and each call is graded against the best call you had.

The spots

Each spot is a real moment from the 2023 to 2025 seasons, playoffs included: the real score, clock, down, distance, field position and timeouts, with both real teams and the 22 players who were really on the field. There are three kinds: the two-minute drill (behind, need a score), protecting a lead (ahead, run it out) and tied games or the end of a half.

Calling a pass

Every receiver starts on a route that fits the situation: a fade, slants and outs at the goal line, routes to the sideline in a late two-minute drill, quick throws on short yardage, digs and posts on long yardage. Tap a receiver on the field to change his route (slant, hitch, out, dig, post, corner, go, screen for wide receivers; flat, hitch, out, crosser, dig, seam for tight ends; flat, angle, screen, wheel for backs), then tap his name to throw it to him. Each receiver shows how often throws like that are caught here, the yards a throw, the first-down rate and the interception rate. Play action and getting out of bounds are optional.

Calling a run

Pick the back (or the quarterback) and tap a hole: outside, off tackle or inside, to the weak or strong side of the formation, or straight up the middle; a QB sneak on short yardage or a QB keeper. Each hole shows the yards a carry, the first-down rate and the chance of a broken tackle, from the runner's real broken-tackle rate and how often this defense misses.

The clock and the kicking game

With the clock running you pick the tempo (hurry up, huddle or milk the play clock) or call a timeout, right in the play call. Spikes, kneel-downs, field goals, punts, the try after a touchdown and onside kicks appear when they matter. The clock follows NFL rules: it stops on incompletions, timeouts, at the two-minute warning, after scores and changes of possession, and on plays out of bounds in the last two minutes of the first half and the last five of the game.

Defense

Before every snap the defense shows its look: base, blitz, a loaded box or a soft shell. Read it: blitzes are vulnerable to quick throws and screens, loaded boxes to play action and deep shots, soft shells to runs and underneath throws. When the other team has the ball you call the defense yourself, and decide when to burn your timeouts.

What happens on the snap

The game keeps about 138,000 real NFL snaps from 2022 to 2025, each labelled with its call, its situation and the look the defense showed. Your call draws a real play of that call from the same kind of situation; when you throw to a receiver, it is a real throw to a player at his position on that route. The players' ratings and your call against the look tilt which real play comes up. The field animates it from the real play's details, with names on the players: formation, routes, coverage, the pass rush, air yards, yards after the catch, broken tackles and who made the tackle.

How calls are graded

Every call is graded on win chance. Before the result is shown, the game plays out the rest of the game thousands of times for every option you had and compares your call with the best one. The result of the play doesn't change the grade.

• Green: the best call, or within half a point of win chance of it.
• Yellow: close, within 2 points.
• Orange: costly, within 5 points.
• Red: a big miss, more than 5 points worse than the best call.

Your score, your rank and your coach

At the end of the drive you get a percentile against NFL play-callers: the share of 4,000 simulated play-callers, each calling plays as often as NFL coaches do with a different feel for the best one, who would have given up more win chance on the same decisions. You also get your rank among everyone who played today, a spot on the top ten if you add a name, and the head coach your calls look most like (how often you throw, go deep, go for it on fourth down and go for two). See how everyone played on the stats page.

The players and their ratings

Every player has a 40 to 99 rating: where he stood among NFL players at his position before that game, from his real production (EPA, completion rate over expected and dropbacks for quarterbacks; yards, EPA and broken tackles for backs and receivers; pressure allowed for linemen; sacks, hits and tackles for loss for the front; interceptions, passes defended and missed tackles for the secondary). Tap any player for his card.

Checked against real football

The simulation is checked against what really happened in these spots: teams trailing late win about 27% of them in the simulation and 29% in real games, teams protecting a lead 86% and 85%, and drives score touchdowns at close to the real rate.

The data

Everything comes from public NFL data published by nflverse: play-by-play, player participation, FTN charting (FTN Data via nflverse, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Pro Football Reference charting. The win-probability, kicking and clock models are fit on 2016 to 2025 play-by-play.

Frequently asked questions

What is 2-Minute Drill?

A free daily NFL play-calling game. Everyone gets the same real late-game spot from the 2023 to 2025 seasons and calls every snap; each snap is played out on the field with a real NFL play of that call, and each call is graded on win chance against the best call available.

Is it really based on real NFL plays?

Yes. The game draws from about 138,000 real NFL snaps from 2022 to 2025 (nflverse play-by-play, participation and FTN charting). When you call a play, a real play of that call from the same kind of situation, against the same defensive look, is drawn and animated with the real route, coverage, air yards, yards after the catch and tackler.

How are calls graded?

Before the result is shown, the game simulates the rest of the game thousands of times for every option you had and compares your call with the best one. Green is the best call or within half a point of win chance, yellow within 2 points, orange within 5, red more than 5. A good call that didn't work is still a good call.

What do the player ratings mean?

Every player has a 40 to 99 rating from his real production before that game, as a percentile among NFL players at his position. Ratings tilt which real play is drawn: a great receiver on a route catches more of them, a back who breaks tackles gains more.

What does 'you coached like' mean?

At the end of the day your calls are compared with real head coaches' late-game tendencies since 2016: how often they throw, go deep, go for it on fourth down and go for two, each against what NFL play-callers do in the same spots. You get the nearest coach and the reasons.

Is there a new game every day?

Yes: a new real NFL ending every day, the same for everyone, with a daily rank and top ten. Practice mode lets you play any of more than 1,200 spots whenever you like.

Is 2-Minute Drill an official NFL game?

No. 2-Minute Drill (Two-Minute Drill) is an independent, fan-made NFL play-calling game. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the NFL, its teams, its players or the NFL Players Association; team and player names only identify the real NFL games the spots come from.

What is a two-minute drill in the NFL?

The two-minute drill is the hurry-up offense an NFL team runs at the end of a half when it needs to score: no-huddle snaps, throws to the sideline, spikes and timeouts to save the clock. The game lets you run real NFL 2-minute drills, protect leads and play out tied endings yourself.

Is it free? Do I need an account?

It's free and there's no account. Your drives and streak are saved in your browser.