The rules, in 5 minutes
Everything you need to follow a football game tonight.
American football looks chaotic but it's actually a board game with very strict rules. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to follow the score, the clock, and 90% of what's happening on the field.
The point of the game
Two teams. One ball. The team with the ball is the offense. They want to move the ball into the other team's end zone (the painted area at each end of the field) — that's a touchdown. The team without the ball is the defense. They want to stop the offense.
You play four 15-minute quarters. The team with more points at the end wins.
Downs (this is the only confusing part)
The offense gets four tries to move the ball 10 yards forward. Each try is called a 'down'. If they get 10 yards, they get a fresh four tries. If they don't, they have to give the ball to the other team.
How you score points
- Touchdown — 6 points. Get the ball into the other team's end zone (carry it in or catch it in there).
- Extra point — 1 point. A short kick after every touchdown. Almost always good.
- 2-point conversion — 2 points. Skip the kick, run or pass the ball into the end zone again from 2 yards out. Riskier, used when you need to catch up.
- Field goal — 3 points. A long kick through the goal posts. Used when the offense gets close but stalls.
- Safety — 2 points (rare). The defense tackles the offense in their own end zone. Almost never happens.
The clock (and why teams "run out the clock")
Each quarter is 15 minutes of game time, but the clock stops constantly — when the ball goes out of bounds, after an incomplete pass, after a touchdown. A real NFL game takes about 3 hours.
Late in the game, the team that's winning often tries to run plays that don't stop the clock — usually handoffs to the running back. This is called 'running out the clock'. It's deeply boring and a sign your team is winning.
A few terms you'll hear constantly
The guy who throws the ball. The most important player on the field. Also the one in the commercials.
The guy who runs downfield to catch the QB's passes.
The guy the QB hands the ball to so he can run with it.
When a defender tackles the QB before he can throw. Costs the offense yards and ends the play. (Spotted: a quarterback in the dirt.)
When the defense catches a pass meant for the offense. Possession flips immediately. Devastating.
When the player carrying the ball drops it. Whoever picks it up first owns it.
When the offense gets the 10 yards they needed. Fresh set of four tries. Crowd cheers.
When a player breaks a rule. The referee throws a yellow flag. The team gets pushed back 5–15 yards depending on the offense.
You can stop here
Seriously. With this much, you can follow a game tonight. The other 1,000 things people argue about — formations, coverages, situational football — those come naturally once you've watched a few.
"You don't need to know what a "Cover 2 zone" is. You need to know who has the ball and where it's going."
You finished the lesson.
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