What is the longest drive in terms of time of possession in NFL football history?

Answer 1

Navy 2004 Emerald Bowl: 14 minutes 25 seconds against New Mexico Navy vs. New Mexico in the 2004 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. The Navy offense had a 26-play, 94-yard, 14:26 drive that was capped off by a Geoff Blumenfeld 22-yard field goal to make the score 34-19. The 26 plays and 14:26 time of possession were both NCAA records for a single drive. If a team started a drive on their own 1-yard line, took 4 downs to make a first down every time, got just enough every time to get the first down, allowed the play clock to nearly expire before every play, took 5 seconds to run each play, never threw an incomplete pass, and the clock never stopped... that would mean 1 play was run every 50 seconds. It would take 4 plays to get to the 11-yard line, 4 more to get to the 21-yard line, etc, for a total of 40 plays to get a touchdown. These 40 plays would take 2,000 seconds, or 33 minutes, 20 seconds. However, even if the drive started at the beginning of the game, or the beginning of the second half, the drive would end at the end of the half, for a maximum of 30 minutes. Unless... You count penalties, automatic first downs, etc. That could keep the clock running and increase the amount of plays on the drive

Answer 2

The Boston Redskins had a 14:03 drive during the third game of the 1935 season against the Chicago Bears. Sammy Baugh ran for 56 yards and passed for 49, as the 'skins scored on their 23rd play of the drive. As a result of this drive, and the eventual loss of the game 33-17, Hall of Fame coach George Halas of the Bears, instituted the first three man linebacker formation in the NFL. Not only was this the birth of the legendary "Monsters of the Midway", it began a long tradition of hard-hitting, middle linebackers for the Bears.

This answer is highly suspect for a variety of reasons. While it is possible that 14:03 is the record for the longest duration of a drive in an NFL game, it certainly didn't occur as it is described here. For one thing, the Redskins played the Bears in the seventh week of the season, not the third, and the Bears prevailed 30-14, not the Redskins by 33-17. Furthermore, the Bears didn't allow more than 28 points in a game for the entire decade of the '30s, let alone 33. What else? Sammy Baugh's NFL career began in 1937, not 1935. The Bears were known as the "Monsters of the Midway" long before this. I actually needed the correct answer to this question for a project I'm doing and this entry was a complete waste of my time.