Inside an NFL two-minute drill: Keys to the hurry-up offense - ESPN

Football is at its best when it grabs you and won't let you go.

NFL fans spend entire Sundays riding the peaks and lulls of games. But then there are these specific moments that freeze everyone in place — when thousands of people in the stadium and millions more watching from far away all take a deep breath, lean in a little closer and say, «All right, here we go.»

One of these moments happened late Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara, California, when the Seattle Seahawks got the ball back with 2:38 left in the game, trailing the San Francisco 49ers 17-13 with one timeout left. While there was technically more than two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks were about to embark on the most breathless exercise an NFL game can offer: the two-minute drill. This is the sped-up offense that teams use in the final minutes of a half, when the goal is to score once more before time runs out. And when it comes at the end of a one-score game, it becomes the difference between winning and losing.

«The important part about two-minute is, you have a chance to win the game,» Browns quarterback Jameis Winston said during training camp this summer. «If the other team doesn't get the ball, it's a chance for another play. Every play matters. But every play that's not a mistake, you've still got a chance.»

What are the elements of a successful two-minute drive? What does it feel like on the field, on the sideline and in the huddle? We talked to players and coaches to get a sense of how this critical part of an NFL game plays out. And we took one such winning drive from Week 11 — Seattle's wild comeback — and used it as a guide.

So let's dive into that moment. The Seahawks, needing a touchdown, get the ball back on their own 20-yard line. Per