Official American Football Rules

American football is the most popular sport in the United States, enthralling millions of people. However, in Europe, this sport has only gained popularity in the last decade. Let’s familiarize ourselves with the rules and mechanics of American football.

Important Notes and Terms

To better understand the fundamentals of American football rules, keep in mind a few things:

In American football, everything is measured in yards. 1 yard = 91.44 cm. To simplify the game’s math, it’s common to round and equate one yard to 90 centimeters.

TD – touchdown – carrying the ball into the opponent’s end zone, earning points.

NFL – National Football League – the world’s leading US American football league.

NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association – an association that oversees many sports, including students American football.

Rules of American Football: The Field

The field for American football is 120 yards (about 110 meters) long and 53.3 yards (about 49 meters) wide. The field is typically marked with lines every 10 yards to assist players in orienting themselves. There is a 10-yard-wide end zone for touchdowns (TD) at each end of the field. These touchdown zones are 100 yards apart. Each TD zone has goalposts at the back.

American Football Players

Each team typically has 11 players on the field at any given time. There is also a reduced version of the game in which each team has 9 players. In football, midfielders and defenders are usually played by other players, and in emergency situations, a substitute enters the field. Therefore, in order for a team to play full-fledged football in matches, they must have at least 30 players, while NFL teams register 53 players for each game.

Game Duration

According to American football rules, a game consists of 4 quarters, each of which lasts 15 minutes (Playing time). A 15-minute halftime break follows the second quarter. In Europe, games are frequently played in 4×12-minute. The winning team is determined at the end of the fourth quarter. If the score is tied after four quarters, there is a 10-minute overtime period. The format allows games to end in a tie in some cases.

Game Start

At the start of each game, the referees toss a coin. The home team chooses either heads or tails. To begin the game, the team that wins the coin toss chooses whether to attack or defend. The team that starts the game on defense, attacks in the third quarter, so the team that wins the coin toss usually chooses defense.

Kickoffs and Returns

At the start of the game (and also at the start of the third quarter or after scoring points), one team kicks the ball deep into the opponent’s field (kickoff). The kicking team forms a line on the field, and the ball is kicked from the center of this line. Players are not allowed to move from their positions until the ball is touched.

Some players on the receiving team can be positioned deep in their own field. Any player on this team who catches the ball may attempt to return it by running to the kicking team’s side of the field. When they are brought to a stop the attacking team begins its drive from that point.

If the kicked ball enters the opposing end zone, the referees call a touchback, and the attacking team begins their drive from the 20-yard line on their side of the field.

The fourth attempt, a penalty, and goals on the field.

While the attacking team has four attempts to advance 10 yards, this is usually done in the first three. If they do not reach the goal line within those three attempts, the fourth attempt is usually not used for attempting to progress with the ball because it is too dangerous.

If a team decides to continue the regular offense (trying to move the ball forward) on the fourth attempt and still fails to cross the goal line, the opponents take over the ball exactly where they stopped the opponents.

To avoid this scenario, teams usually decide for alternative offensive options on the fourth attempt, such as punting or attempting a field goal.

Field goal:

A field goal (FG) is a kick made while the ball is on the ground, with the goal of passing through the opponent’s goalposts, which are located deep within the opponent’s end zone. The scoring team receives 3 points if the kick is successful. In case of a failure, the defending team gets to start their offense from the same spot on the field (but in the opposite direction).

After three unsuccessful attempts, the attacking team will typically punt if they are near their own field zone or in the middle of the field. Punting involves kicking the ball deep into the opponent’s territory, giving up the opportunity to continue the offense and score points while pushing the opponent’s offense’s starting point further away from their end zone. Punting rules are very similar to kicking rules, with the exception that the ball is kicked after it has been caught and held in the hands, not after it has been placed on the ground.

After a punt, the defending team also has a chance to attempt to return the ball towards the opponent’s goal line. The more successful the return, the better field position the team’s offense will have.

The Ways of Attack in American Football

The attacking team has two options for moving the ball – through running or passing.

Running, also known as carrying the ball, is a type of attack where at the beginning of the play, the ball is handed off to a running player (usually the Running Back) who attempts to carry the ball as far as possible towards the opponent’s end zone. The offensive line and other positions attempt to create “holes” in the defense for the runner. If the defending team stops the running player with the ball, the offense resumes from the point where he was stopped.

Passing is the second offensive strategy. Each offensive play in American football allows for one forward pass. This pass must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, a player who crosses it is no longer allowed to throw a forward pass. The Quarterback (QB) usually throws the forward pass. Typically, the quarterback attempts to pass the ball to one of the team’s Wide Receivers (WR). There can be up to four receivers on the field at the same time, each running a predetermined and agreed-upon route. They turn around at the end of the route, hoping to catch the thrown ball.

If the attacking team fails to complete a pass, which means the ball is not caught and falls to the ground, the next play begins where the previous one ended. The next play’s starting line does not move forward or backward.

The rules of American football state that there is no limit to the number of backward passes that can be made, but this offensive element is rarely used because if the ball is dropped to the ground after a backward pass, the opposing team can recover it and the offense is stopped.

Methods of Scoring

The attacking team’s primary goal is to score a touchdown (TD). When any offensive player with the ball crosses into the opposing end zone, a touchdown is scored. A touchdown is worth 6 points.

Following a touchdown, the team has the option of scoring an additional 1 or 2 points. They have the option of attempting a 1 point conversion or a 2 point conversion.

1 point attempt is made by kicking the ball from 28 yards to the goalposts. The rules are nearly identical to a field goal situation in this case, but even if the kickoff fails, the team that scored the touchdown performs a kickoff.

If a team chooses a 2-point conversion, they will have a second chance to carry the ball into the opposing end zone, starting from the 2-yard line. If successful, the team receives two extra points. In case of a failure, a kickoff is performed.

The earlier mentioned field goal is another way to score. A successful field goal scores 3 points for the attacking team. Following a field goal, the team that scored the points kicks off.

The third and rarest method of scoring is a safety. This happens when the attacking team is tackled in their own end zone. A safety is declared when an offensive player with the ball is stopped in their own end zone. In this case, the team defending against the offense receives 2 points. Furthermore, the team that scored the safety must kickoff, while the team that scored the two points is given the opportunity to begin a new offensive drive right away.

Interceptions of the ball

Defensive players can score points by scoring a regular touchdown (TD), but they can only do so if they intercept the ball. Of course not every interception results in  points.

Defensive players can intercept the ball in two ways. If the ball is knocked loose from an offensive player before it hits the ground (a fumble is recorded when the ball carrier’s knee, elbow, buttocks, or back touches the ground), the ball is considered live and any player from either team can pick up the ball and advance it. This type of ball loss is called a fumble.

If a defensive player is the first to recover a fumbled ball, their team gains the opportunity to start their new offensive drive from that spot. The team that lost possession must then defend against the new offensive drive.

Interceptions can occur after forward passes as well. Any player from either team can catch a forward-passed ball as long as it does not touch the ground. If a defender intercepts a pass, they can attempt to run towards the opposing TD zone. This type of defense is known as an interception. If the defender who intercepted the ball is tackled, their team’s offensive drive begins from that point.

If the attacking team chooses to pass back, the uncaught ball, even if it has fallen to the ground, is considered live and can be picked up by players from either team to secure additional offense.

Clock Management and Play Clock Duration

American football rules emphasize an important tactical aspect – clock management. The referees decide whether to stop or continue the game clock based on the circumstances.

If an offensive player with the ball is tackled within the field’s boundaries, the clock continues to run until the teams set up for a new play.

If an offensive player with the ball runs or is pushed out of bounds, the clock stops and the offense resumes from the point where the ball crossed the sideline.

The clock is stopped if the attacking team fails to complete a forward pass, which means the ball is not caught and falls to the ground.

Regardless of whether the clock is stopped or not, the attacking team must line up and begin a new play within 40 seconds. After an incomplete pass, the referees signal, and the attacking team has 25 seconds to set up and begin play.

Penalties

For a reason, American football is sometimes referred to as controlled chaos. There are numerous detailed rules to manage the entire process, and referees oversee their enforcement. Referees mark a penalty and impose a fine when they see a rule violation.

Penalties are incurred when yards are lost. Following a penalty, the starting line of attack is shifted to one side or the other, while the goal line remains in place.

For example, if a team attacks from 10 yards away but receives a 5-yard penalty, the next attempt will begin 15 yards away from the goal line. Similarly, the defending team must do the same. If defenders commit a foul while the opponent attacks from 10 yards, then after a 5-yard penalty, the attacking team will start their next attempt from 5 yards away from the goal line.

If the defending team is penalized and the penalty yards help the attacking team reach or cross the goal line, the attacking team is given four new attempts and a new goal line 10 yards away from the starting line.

Penalties types:

There are three types of distance penalties in American football. A 5-yard penalty is given for various small violations (false start). A 10-yard penalty is imposed for average penalties (holding an opponent without the ball). A 15-yard penalty is applied for more serious penalties (such as grabbing an opponent’s face mask or unsportsmanlike conduct).

In the NFL, there are also spot fouls, in which the game is restarted exactly where the foul was committed. Spot fouls, on the other hand, do not exist in the NCAA or Europe, and are replaced by regular distance penalties.

Most of the time, following a penalty (It doesn’t matter if it’s your own or your opponents’), the offensive team is given the option to repeat the same attempt (out of four). When the offensive team that received the penalty loses an attempt, there are a few exceptions. For example, if such a penalty is called during the second attempt, the offensive team not only receives a yardage penalty, but the attack is also delayed until the third attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is protection necessary in American football?

Players in American football wear specialized helmets and shoulder pads. In comparison to many other sports, American football has a much higher permitted force of contact, making protective gear essential for player safety. American football and rugby are frequently compared. According to scientists, the average impact force in American football exceeds rugby contact by more than four times.

How many professional American football leagues exist?

Only the United States and Canada have fully professional American football leagues. The NFL, the main league for this sport, is the most popular sports league in the United States, attracting tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of TV viewers and filling stadiums with capacities that range from 60,000 to 80,000. The Canadian Football League (CFL) follows American football rules, but it is also a professional league. There are several smaller American football leagues in the United States, but they receive far less attention than the NFL.

Although it cannot be called a professional league, the NCAA, the American student football league in the United States, receives a lot of attention. This league’s stadiums are frequently larger than those of NFL teams.

All American football leagues in Europe are either amateur or semi-professional. Only a small percentage of players get paid for playing. Germany has Europe’s most competitive American football league. This sport is also popular in the United Kingdom and many countries in Southern Europe. Poland also has a number of strong American football clubs and leagues. Eastern European countries such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia also have deep traditions in this sport.

Rules of other sports

You’ve just learned the rules of American Football. If you want to learn more about other sports and other tournaments, we recommend reading about soccer rules, and beach volleyball.