NFL Football is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players. On each side of the ball is a center who passes it to their quarterback who either runs with it or passes it off to another player for a pass play.
First team to cross midfield wins a first down and can continue its drive with four more plays; however, the clock could stop if an out-of-bounds player or penalty occurs.
Definition
NFL Football is a team sport played with an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field surrounded by end lines, sidelines and pylons. The primary rule in NFL football is that any player in possession of the ball must not touch anything beyond its boundaries.
The line of scrimmage (LOS) is an imaginary boundary extending from the point of the snap and into the field. Teams may not cross this LOS until play has started and an advance of 10 yards counts as a down.
The Super Bowl is a single-elimination tournament between the conference champions from each conference – four division champions and three wild card teams from each. Teams are ranked according to their regular season record and those with higher rankings advance; ultimately, only the winner of the championship game becomes world champion.
Rules
The Official Playing Rules of the National Football League govern all professional football games played within its borders, and are approved by member clubs before being enforced by the National Football League Commissioner.
A team can place the ball into play using one untimed scrimmage down and not advance beyond this line unless the ball is snapped backward.
Passes involve forward movement of the ball by handing, throwing, shoveling (shovel pass), or pushing (push pass). A player is considered Out of Bounds when they touch any boundary line – not including players or officials – other than an end zone or its adjacent sidelines or lines parallel thereto. This includes end zones as well as any areas bounded by sidelines and lines parallel thereto.
Scoring
The NFL has survived challenges from other professional leagues to become the unrivalled American football league. Part of its success can be attributed to its system for selecting champions through end-of-season standings and then an annual playoff tournament, culminating in Super Bowl.
A field of play refers to an area bounded by goal lines and lines parallel with and 70 feet 9 inches from both sidelines, known as goallines and parallel lines. End zones extend from each goalline.
Each team receives four attempts (called downs) at moving the ball ten yards forward – these are known as “first and ten”, “second and ten”, etc. If they fail to make this goal on any of these downs, they are forced to kick away the ball on their fourth down. This system resembles rugby as its rules allow teams only four chances to advance forward with every down.
Offense
The offense consists of 11 players who work together to move the ball downfield during a play. They can be broken up into two groups: five offensive linemen who block opponents and protect their quarterback, and six backs/receivers who run plays or catch passes.
The quarterback serves as the focal point of an offense and is accountable for calling out plays from the sideline and communicating them to his teammates during huddles, as well as throwing the football during plays.
Running backs typically line up behind or alongside the quarterback and are known for their speed. They carry the ball during running plays or receive handoffs from them so as to catch passes; wide receivers, however, are sought-after for their dynamic pass-catching skills and often line up at perimeter portions of the field.
Defense
Defense teams begin without possession of the ball and attempt to gain it by forcing a turnover on downs, stopping run plays or intercepting passes. They are known as Team A while their opposing offense is known as Team B until either their possession changes hands or play ends.
A nose tackle is a large and physically strong defender who lines up over an offensive center to win blocking assignments in order to stop inside runs. His counterpart on defense, known as a defensive tackle, typically rushes the quarterback or covers receivers man-to-man coverage.
Middle linebackers focus on containment duties for running plays while outside linebackers take care of zone pass coverage; this allows safeties to help out on deep pass plays when necessary.