Who can call a timeout in the NFL, explained

Thursday night’s NFL Kickoff Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs was filled with fascinating moments.

One such moment came late in the first half, with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens driving for a potential go-ahead touchdown. Baltimore faced a 2nd and goal from the Chiefs’ 7-yard line, and as the Kansas City defense slowly aligned for the play, Mike Tirico in the broadcast booth wondered if the Chiefs needed to call a timeout to get on the right page defensively.

That timeout quickly came:

One problem? It appeared in the moment that it was defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who was the coach on the Kansas City sideline who called the timeout, and not head coach Andy Reid, as you can see around the 43-second mark of the above clip.

The incident sparked a discussion on social media about who is responsible for calling timeouts, so for a fun Friday activity, let’s head to the official NFL Rulebook!

Rule 4 of the official NFL rules governs “game timing,” and contained in Rule 4 is Section 5, which covers timeouts.

Section 5, Article 1, titled “Charged Team Timeouts,” outlines who can call a timeout, and reads as follows:

The Referee shall suspend play while the ball is dead and declare a charged team timeout upon the request for a timeout by the head coach or any player (not a substitute) to any official. If an assistant coach signals for a timeout and it is inadvertently granted, the timeout will stand.

Under Rule 5, Article 1, only head coaches and players in the game can call a timeout. Assistant coaches — like Spagnuolo — cannot. However, if an assistant coach calls for a timeout and an official, hearing that call, grants the timeout “inadvertently,” then the timeout will stand.

The timeout might have worked for Kansas City, as the Ravens’ next play was an incompletion, and Baltimore was forced to settle for a field goal before halftime as the Chiefs took a 13-10 lead to the locker room. Kansas City won by a final score of 27-20.

Now, it is important to note that according to some reporters at the game, Reid was also signaling for a timeout, and that was granted. Spagnuolo only raced down to get the attention of a separate referee when he believed that the timeout Reid had requested had not been granted. Sam McDowell, who covers the Chiefs for the Kansas City Star, offered this view on Thursday night:

The timeout incident did not come up in Reid’s post-game press conference, as there was plenty else to discuss. But given how it touched off a big discussion on social media Thursday night, we wanted to pass along the rule, just in case it comes up at another point this season.