American football rules

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  Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans game

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  Admiral Haney flips the coin at the Pro Bowl

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  Diagram of American football positions

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  Opening kickoff between North Lamar and Commerce

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  Grambling State field goal attempt at the State Fair Classic

Overview

American football is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The Field

The field is 100 yards long and 53.3 yards wide. The field is marked with yard lines every 5 yards, and hash marks are used to align the ball at the start of each play. The end zones are 10 yards deep.

The Game

A standard game consists of four quarters, each lasting 15 minutes. The game begins with a kickoff, where one team kicks the ball to the other. The receiving team then attempts to advance the ball down the field.

Scoring

Points can be scored in several ways:

• Touchdown: Worth 6 points, a touchdown is scored when a player carries the ball into the opponent's end zone or catches a pass in the end zone.
• Extra Point: After a touchdown, the scoring team can attempt a kick through the goalposts for 1 additional point.
• Two-Point Conversion: Instead of an extra point kick, the team can attempt to run or pass the ball into the end zone from the 2-yard line for 2 points.
• Field Goal: Worth 3 points, a field goal is scored by kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts during a play from scrimmage.
• Safety: Worth 2 points, a safety is scored when the defensive team tackles an offensive player with the ball in their own end zone.

The Teams

Each team has an offense, a defense, and special teams. The offense tries to advance the ball and score points, while the defense tries to stop them. Special teams handle kickoffs, punts, and field goal attempts.

The Play

The game is played in a series of downs. The offense has four downs to advance the ball 10 yards. If they succeed, they are awarded a new set of downs. If they fail, the opposing team takes possession of the ball.

Penalties

Penalties are called for rule infractions and result in yardage being awarded to the opposing team. Common penalties include holding, false start, and pass interference.

Related Pages

• Gridiron football
• National Football League
• College football
• Canadian football