Redskins had the ball in Panther's territory, 1st and 10 with about a minute left. Smith grounds the ball. So there is a 10 yard penalty and 10 seconds are run off the clock.
But what if the Redskins had 3rd and 10 deep in their own territory? They would be punting after the penalty, the Panthers would have a chance to drive for a FG or TD, so running time off the clock would hurt the Panthers.
- Could the Panthers decline the penalty, preserving the clock?
- Could the yardage part of the penalty be enforced without running 10 seconds off the clock?
They could decline the penalty and avoid the runoff, but I'm not sure what benefit that gives them, especially since the Redskins can still punt and pin them back
They could decline the penalty and avoid the runoff, but I'm not sure what benefit that gives them, especially since the Redskins can still punt and pin them back
Say the penalty occurred with 40 seconds left on the Redskins 10 yard line. Half the distance would make the Skins punt from their own 5. But the Panthers would still want 40 seconds, not 30, to try to drive into FG range. Could the Panthers accept the yardage portion of the penalty and not the clock run off?
he gave a hypothetical IF the Redskins were deep in their own end.
The defense always has the option to decline the 10-second runoff and have the yardage penalty enforced, but if the yardage penalty is declined, the 10-second runoff is also declined.