NFL goes 12-on-12, expands games to six quarters
All six quarters will last 10 minutes. The league says the math checks out.
The NFL has approved 12-on-12 football and six 10-minute quarters, describing the package as a major expansion of both roster opportunities and the definition of a quarter.
Each side will add a 12th player, whose initial assignment is to determine whether anyone remembered to cover the other team’s extra guy. Defensive coordinators have requested another finger.
“It’s still 60 minutes,” a league spokesperson said. “We checked that part repeatedly. The other part is a terminology issue, and we consider that issue closed.”
Coaches welcomed the change, saying six quarters should finally give their teams enough time to play four complete quarters. Quarterbacks have been asked not to make this about themselves.
