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Delay of game: NFL games running longer in 2011

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
Updated

If you think NFL game telecasts are running overtime while you watch from the couch or easy chair, you're right.

Through the first seven weeks of the 2011 season, the average NFL game time was 3 hours, 6 minutes and 58 seconds, says league spokesman Dan Masonson.

That's up 1 minute and 29 seconds from the 3:05:29 average through the first seven weeks of the 2010 season. And up a full 2 minutes, 28 seconds from 3:04:30 average for the full 2010 season.

That's leading to lengthier game broadcasts for millions of viewers. The average length of ESPN's Monday Night Football telecasts are up 6 minutes this season compared to the same period last year, says spokesman Bill Hofheimer.

What's going on? ESPN insider Cris Mortensen thinks its due to more penalty flags being thrown as the NFL goes to extremes to protect QB's and receivers.

ESPN's Mark Schlereth pointed to questionable penalty calls such as the roughing flag thrown Sunday against Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers for plowing through Minnesota Vikings QB Christian Ponder's mid-section with what looked like a textbook, head-to-the-side tackle.

"The games feel heavy. Some of that has to do with the flags," Mortensen told Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on ESPN2's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" Thursday.

But Masonson counters the number of penalties is almost the same: an average of 15.6 flags per game this year vs. 15.1 last season.

On Twitter, Newsday's Bob Glauber wondered if it has to do with the automatic review of all scoring plays.

It could also be due to all the offensive fireworks in the pass-happy league where the clock stops after every incompleted pass. Scoring is up big time this season.

Teams have scored 4,629 points, the most through the first seven weeks in NFL history. Average points scored per game are up to 44.9 points vs. 43.2 points at this point last season. That's the highest average through the first seven weeks since the 1970 season.

It's not that TV viewers are seeing more commercials either. The NFL's national TV partners are running the same amount of ads, Masonson says.

The league's not worried about average game times being up since they tend to fluctuate from year to year, he adds. TV viewers don't seem to object: The NFL's on track to draw its second most-watched season in 17 years, Masonson says.

So what do you think is making NFL games take longer? Have you noticed a difference on Sundays and Mondays?

Sound off below.

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