Challenges in the NFL can change the course of a game, overturning a touchdown, confirming a crucial turnover, or saving valuable time.
While every team wants to make the most of their opportunities, the number of challenges is limited, and the rules are strict.
This guide breaks down the challenges an NFL team receives, when they can use them, what happens if they are successful or unsuccessful, and how the replay review system works.
Understanding these rules helps fans appreciate the strategic decisions coaches make under pressure.
Fast Facts: NFL Challenge System
Here’s everything you need to know about NFL challenges at a glance:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Who Can Challenge? | Head coaches only |
| Number of Challenges | 2 per game |
| Bonus Challenge | 1 extra if both original challenges are successful |
| Reviewable Plays | Turnovers, scoring plays, spot of the ball, etc. |
| Non-Reviewable | Penalties, play clock, crowd noise, etc. |
| Time Limit | Must throw challenge flag before next snap |
| Cost of Failed Challenge | One timeout |
Each NFL team starts with two challenges and can earn a third through successful use.
Coaches must have timeouts available and act quickly to initiate reviews. The system balances fairness with game flow, preventing excessive delays while ensuring crucial calls receive proper scrutiny.
What Is a Challenge In The NFL?
A challenge in the NFL allows a head coach to request a video review of a play they believe was wrongly called.
The coach throws a red flag to initiate the challenge, and the referees then review the play using instant replay.
If the ruling is overturned, the team keeps their timeout. If not, they lose it.
The challenge system was introduced to reduce human error in officiating while maintaining the authority of on-field referees.
It represents a compromise between perfect accuracy and game pace, giving coaches limited opportunities to contest questionable calls.
How Many Challenges Does Each NFL Team Get Per Game?
Each team is allowed two challenges per game.
If both challenges are successful, the team is awarded one additional challenge, bringing the total to three maximum.
However, if either of the first two fails, no extra challenge is granted. All challenges require the team to have at least one remaining timeout.
This system rewards coaches who use their challenges wisely. The bonus challenge acts as an incentive for accuracy, encouraging coaches to only challenge plays where they have strong confidence in a reversal.
The timeout requirement adds another strategic layer, as coaches must weigh the value of a potential challenge against preserving timeouts for clock management.
When Are Your 2 NFL Challenges Available?
Understanding when and who can initiate a challenge is key to grasping the NFL’s review process timeline.
| Game Segment | Who Can Initiate Review |
|---|---|
| Kickoff–2:00 (each half) | Coaches via challenge |
| After the 2:00 warning | Booth only |
| Overtime | Booth only (no coach challenges) |
The timing restrictions ensure that crucial end-of-game situations receive automatic review without requiring coach intervention.
This prevents teams from being disadvantaged by having already used their challenges earlier in the game.
What Can You Challenge in the NFL?
Coaches can challenge specific aspects of a play, such as:
- Possession calls – Whether a player caught the ball, maintained control, or fumbled
- Spot of the ball – First down measurements and out-of-bounds determinations
- Scoring plays – Touchdowns and field goals (if not automatically reviewed)
- Player boundaries – Whether a player stepped out of bounds before scoring or gaining yards
- Pass completions – Whether a pass was complete, incomplete, or intercepted
- Fumble recovery – Which team recovered a loose ball
- Forward pass legality – Whether a pass was thrown from behind the line of scrimmage
The reviewable plays focus on objective, factual determinations that can be seen on video replay.
These situations typically involve binary outcomes where slow-motion footage and multiple camera angles can provide definitive answers.
What You Can’t Challenge In the NFL?
Certain calls are not eligible for review, including:
- Penalty flags – Holding, pass interference, false starts, and other infractions
- Play clock violations – Delay of game penalties
- Crowd noise issues – Unsportsmanlike conduct related to fan behaviour
- Personal fouls – Unnecessary roughness, targeting, or other subjective penalties
- Judgment calls – Referee interpretations that involve discretion rather than facts
- Dead ball situations – Plays that were blown dead before completion
These restrictions exist because many penalties involve subjective judgment calls that cannot be definitively resolved through video review.
The NFL maintains that on-field officials are better positioned to make these determinations in real-time.
How the NFL Challenge Process Works: Step-by-Step
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the NFL challenge process unfolds during a game.
- The coach throws a red flag before the next snap or play begins
- Officials announce the review and signal to stop play
- A replay official examines footage using multiple camera angles and slow-motion
- Decision is made – ruling is either confirmed, reversed, or stands as called
- The outcome is announced to the stadium and broadcast audience; a timeout is deducted if unsuccessful
The entire process typically takes 2-4 minutes, depending on the complexity of the play and available camera angles.
Replay officials have access to all broadcast footage plus additional sideline and end zone cameras specifically for review purposes.
Role of the Replay Official And Booth Reviews
After the 2-minute warning of each half and during all scoring plays and turnovers, replay reviews are initiated automatically by the replay booth, not the coaches.
This ensures critical moments receive a thorough review even without coach intervention.
Booth reviews also occur for all turnovers and scoring plays throughout the game, regardless of timing.
This automatic review system helps maintain game integrity during the most impactful plays while reducing the burden on coaches to use their limited challenges.
What Happens If You Win or Lose a Challenge?
If a team wins a challenge, the original call is reversed, and they retain their timeout.
The team also maintains their remaining challenges for potential future use. If they lose, the ruling stands as originally called, and the team loses one timeout.
Once a team loses both challenges, they cannot initiate any more reviews, even if they still have timeouts remaining.
This win-or-lose structure creates significant strategic pressure.
Coaches must carefully consider not just whether they believe a call was wrong, but whether they have sufficient evidence to convince replay officials to overturn it.
How to Unlock Your Third NFL Challenge
Coaches who successfully win both of their initial challenges receive one bonus challenge.
This reward emphasises accuracy and good judgment in challenging decisions. However, the team must still have at least one timeout available to use the third challenge.
The bonus challenge system has created memorable moments where teams have successfully used all three challenges in crucial games.
It rewards coaches who demonstrate excellent judgment while providing an additional safety net for teams that face multiple questionable calls.
Making the Most of Your Limited NFL Challenges
Successful challenge usage requires coaches to consider multiple factors beyond just whether they believe a call was incorrect.
They must evaluate the game situation, remaining timeouts, score differential, and time remaining.
Early in games, coaches might be more conservative with challenges, while late-game situations often demand more aggressive challenge decisions.
Some coaches employ specific staff members to review plays and advise on challenge decisions quickly.
This specialised approach recognises that coaches have limited time to make these crucial determinations while managing other game responsibilities.
How Challenge Limits Shape NFL Game Strategy
The challenge system has a significant impact on game strategy, particularly regarding the use of timeouts.
Teams must balance saving timeouts for end-of-game clock management against using challenges on potentially game-changing plays.
This creates fascinating strategic decisions that can determine game outcomes.
Late in games, teams with unused challenges face difficult decisions about whether to risk a timeout on a questionable call.
The interconnection between challenges and timeouts adds complexity to game management that extends far beyond the challenge system itself.
What Makes the NFL’s Challenge System Unique
NFL challenges add a strategic twist to the game that differs from other major sports.
Coaches must decide whether a potential reversal is worth risking a timeout, creating high-pressure moments that can shift game momentum.
Unlike other sports where reviews might be more automatic, the NFL’s challenge system involves direct coach decision-making via the red flag, making it a uniquely interactive element.
The visual drama of coaches throwing red flags has become an iconic part of NFL culture, representing moments where strategy, emotion, and technology intersect on the field.
Related Read:
Conclusion: Each NFL Team Gets 2 Challenges Per Game, With the Opportunity to Earn A 3rd As Bonus!
Challenges in the NFL add fairness, drama, and strategy while preserving the human element that makes football exciting.
They give coaches the power to advocate for their teams, but with limited chances, timing and precision are crucial.
Understanding challenge rules helps fans and coaches appreciate the tactical depth behind calls.
The system balances accurate officiating with smooth game flow.
Next time you see a red flag, you’ll recognise it’s not just about a call being reviewed, but about important strategic choices that could influence the game’s outcome.
FAQs
2 per team, with a chance to earn a 3rd if both are successful.
No, only certain plays like catches, scoring, and spots. Penalties and judgment calls cannot be challenged.
Rule 17 covers emergency procedures and extraordinary circumstances, including protocols for suspended games due to weather or other unforeseen events.
No. Only the replay booth can initiate reviews in overtime.
No, penalties are not reviewable through the challenge system.
