How Many Points is a Touchdown?: Understanding Rules of American football

Are you an NFL football enthusiast? Do you love to spend your weekends watching the game? Are you curious about deep diving into this game? 

In this guide, we will look at and understand the rules of American Football as we will discover how many points is a touchdown. At first glance, the rules might look confusing to some, but we’ll provide clarity in this article. 

We’ll cover all things related to football rules, from scoring to penalties to the dimensions of the football field. After reading this post, you’ll have a full understanding of American football. 

Let’s get started. 

How Does American Football Work?

The story of how Rugby also known as American football was invested is quite interesting. In 1823 William Webs Ellis took a soccer ball in his hands and ran away to score a goal. 

This game became popular, and the main objective became to score more than your opposition by taking the Rugby ball to the other end by touchdown.  

When the game begins, each team is allowed 4 chances to move the ball 10 yards forward. Once they pass the 10 yards, their downs reset and then allowed again to go for another 10 yards. If a team was unable to make it 10 yards in the 4 chances, the ball would be turned over to the opposition team. 

How Many Points is a Touchdown?

A touchdown occurs when a player possesses the ball and player reaches in the end zone. So this is the most asked question and the answer to this is a touchdown will reward team with 6 points. 

Additionally, the scoring side is given the chance to convert a two-point or an additional point. The team that recently scored must run a play from scrimmage near the opponent’s goal line and advance the ball past the goal line in the same way as if they were scoring a touchdown in order to try a two-point conversion.

How Long Does an NFL Game Last?

An American football game is scheduled to last 60 minutes, with 4 phases of 15 minutes each. There are 30 minutes in each half of an NFL game. 

However, unlike association football, the clock stops and starts many times during an NFL game. There are many situations when the clock stops. And the halftime in the NFL is twelve minutes long. 

Due to the stop and start of the clock, the actual average time for an American football game is about three hours and fifteen minutes. 

In the allotted time, if one team manages to score more than the other team, they will be declared the winner of the game. 

How Long is a Football Field?

A football field is 120 yards long, measured from the back of one endzone to the back of the other end zone. It is 53.3 yards wide. 

The field is divided into two halves of 50 yards. The surface area of the football field is 57,600 square feet. These are the standard dimensions of a football field at any level of play. 

The end zones are each 10 yards deep and extend the width of the field from 100 yards to 120 yards. 

Basic Rules of American Football

As we’ve mentioned, the object of the game is to get more points from the opposition team. But how will any team achieve that? 

In American football, there are two teams with 11 players a side. At one time, only 11 players can be present in the field of play. However, the teams are typically made up of 45 players. 

The team controlling the oval-shaped football is called the offense. The offensive team tries to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball. The team without the control of the ball is called defense. They aim to stop the offense’s advance and take control of the ball for themselves. 

In the end, the team with the most points wins the game. 

What are Downs?

It is one of the most vital terms in American football. For new spectators or fans, this term may seem confusing. However, we will try our best to explain the ‘Downs’ in the simplest words. 

• The offense team with the possession of the ball must move the ball by at least 10 yards and will have the four chances or downs to make it so. 
• If they manage to gain 10 yards, the count of chances or downs reset for another play. Now, they will be given another chance to advance 10 more yards into the field with 4 chances or downs. 
• In case the offensive team fails to advance the ball 10 yards within the given downs. The ball will be given to the team playing defense, and they will be given the chance to score points. 

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How to Score Points in an American Football Game?

The major question that arises how many points is a touchdown and how many points is a safety in football. There are a number of ways for the team to score some points, each awarding a different number of points. 

Here is a look. 

Touchdown (6 points)

A touchdown is the best way to score points in a football game, as it offers the most points. 

A touchdown is scored when the offense team manages to enter the defense team’s end zone by either carrying the ball or throwing the ball. The offensive team players can also catch the ball in the end zone of the defense team. 

Field Goal (3 points)

When a team is not able to score a touchdown, they try to score a field goal. If they believe they are close enough to the uprights, they will bring out the kicker to attempt to kick the ball through the upright posts and over the crossbar. 

Extra Point (1 or 2 points)

The teams can also score an extra point by kicking the ball through the uprights after scoring a touchdown. 

Teams can also go for two points if they manage to take the ball into the end zone a second time after a touchdown. However, doing this is extremely difficult.  Teams can also get points for safety

Safety (2 points)

So how many points is a safety in football? The safety is worth two points and awarded when the defense can tackle a member of the opposing team with the ball in their own end zone. 

Furthermore, a post touchdown attempt will reward either of the teams the opportunity to score a point by kicking the ball through the goal post. 

Wrapping Up

So these were the rules and everything about American Football, from how many points is a field goal to how many points is a touchdown, we have covered everything. 

Whether you are kicking off to start watching NFL or want to about the sports, hope this article was very helpful for you. Now on, you can tune into an entire rugby game and support your favorite team without being clueless. 

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