Quarterback kneel In American football , a quarterback kneel , also called taking a knee , genuflect offense , or victory formation occurs when the quarterback immediately kneels to the ground after receiving the snap . It is primarily used to run the clock down , either at the end of the first half or the game itself , in order to preserve a lead or a win . Although it generally results in a loss of a yard and uses up a down , it minimizes the risk of a fumble , which would give the other team a chance to score . Especially when the outcome of the game has been well decided , defenses will often give little resistance to the play as a matter of sportsmanship as well as to reduce injury risk on what is a relatively simple play . The quarterback is generally not touched and the act of intentionally taking the knee results in the play being over in all variations of the sport . The formation offers maximum protection against a fumble ; should the center - quarterback exchange result in a fumble , a running back is lined up on either side of the quarterback , both to recover any fumble and protect the vulnerable kneeling player from being injured by defensive players who get through the line . Also , a player is lined up directly behind the quarterback , often much farther than a typical tailback would line up . This player ' s responsibility is to tackle any defensive player who may recover a fumble and attempt to advance it . Because of this essentially " defensive " responsibility , the tailback in this formation may actually be a free safety or other defensive player who is adept at making tackles in the open field . Even though the play itself takes very little time , the rules of American Football dictate that the game clock will continue to run until the next play ( as with any play where the ball carrier is tackled in bounds ) . With the 40 second play clock in the NFL and NCAA , a team can run off over two minutes with three consecutive kneel downs . The play is often known as Victory Formation as it is most often run by a winning team late in the game in order to preserve a victory . In the case of a close game , the winning team would be trying to avoid a turnover which might be the result of a more complex play ; or in the case of a more lopsided contest , the play can be run as a matter of sportsmanship and to avoid further injury . Strategy . The quarterback kneel may also be used at the end of the first half by a team which feels they have little chance of scoring before halftime due to poor field position . Similarly , the play could also be run at the end of the second half of a tie game if a team is content with sending the game into overtime . The play could perhaps also be ran at the end of the game by a losing team which is hopelessly behind and wishes to avoid further injury , but is unwilling to cut the game short as a forfeit . In rare instances , a team will use the quarterback kneel to avoid running up the score in a lopsided contest , even though there may be significant time remaining on the clock . This occurred in the 2011 edition of the Magnolia Bowl between LSU and Ole Miss . With five minutes remaining and LSU leading 52 - 3 , Tigers coach Les Miles ordered third - string quarterback Zack Mettenberger to take a knee on first and goal from the Ole Miss 1 - yard line , and to kneel on the next three plays . Miles felt another touchdown would further embarrass Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt , who announced his resignation , effective at the end of the season , 12 days before the Rebels hosted No . 1 LSU . The Tigers had already secured the largest margin of victory in series history . In Canadian football or Arena Football , which use slightly different rules , taking a knee with time left is not necessarily a viable strategy . In the CFL , a quarter must end with a play , and in Arena Football , teams must gain yardage in the final minute to keep the clock running . Defense . Although in most instances a losing team will concede defeat when the other team is in the victory formation and taking the quarterback kneel , there are instances where the trailing team will try to make a defensive play in an attempt to regain possession of the ball , particularly when the losing team is behind by a touchdown or less and there is enough time to make more than one play . It is considered a breach of the game ' s etiquette and often condemned when it happens . This had happened on the play preceding The Miracle at the Meadowlands , the 1978 play that popularized the use of the kneeldown . The New York Giants had regained possession in the game ' s final minutes , needing only to run out the clock with two snaps for a 17 – 12 win . Their opponents , the Philadelphia Eagles , had no timeouts remaining . On second down , Giants ' quarterback Joe Pisarcik was hit by some Eagles as he kneeled . As a result , offensive coordinator Ken Gibson called for a handoff up the middle to Larry Csonka . Miscommunications in the huddle resulted in a Pisarcik fumble that was recovered and returned for the winning touchdown by Eagles ' defensive back Herman Edwards , and much embarrassment for the Giants . As a result many teams began using the victory formation thereafter when kneeling . Defenses generally respected the rules and did not attempt to disrupt the kneeldown as the Eagles had . One prominent exception occurred to another Giants quarterback in 2012 . An interception of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass with 30 seconds left had apparently secured a 25 - point fourth - quarter comeback and 41 – 34 Giant victory . Eli Manning was knocked back by his own lineman as he took the snap , and fell down . Giants coach Tom Coughlin angrily confronted his Tampa Bay counterpart , Greg Schiano , at midfield once the game was over . Rules . The 2011 NFL Rules state in Rule 7 , Section 2 , Article 1 ( c ) : " An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended … when a quarterback immediately drops to his knee ( or simulates dropping to his knee ) behind the line of scrimmage " . The 2011 and 2012 NCAA Rules state in Rule 4 , Section 1 , Article 3 ( o ) : " A live ball becomes dead and an official shall sound his whistle or declare it dead … When a ball carrier simulates placing his knee on the ground . " The same rule is used by the British American Football Association . The 2011 CFL Rules state in Rule 1 , Section 4 : " The ball is dead … When the quarterback , in possession of the ball , intentionally kneels on the ground during the last three minutes of a half " . The Statistical Scoring Rules , Section 5 ( e ) states : " When a quarterback voluntarily drops to one knee and concedes yards in an effort to run out the clock , the yards lost will be charged under Team Losses . NOTE – No quarterback sack will be given in this situation . "