How Does Scoring Work in Football?

If you’re just now getting into the world of football, there is a chance that you have no idea how scoring works. You know that there are touchdowns, you know that there are field goals, but how else does a team score? Well, believe it or not, there are actually several different ways in which scoring can happen throughout the course of a single game and we’re going to cover as many of them as possible in today’s article, so sit down, have a read, and be ready for the next big game.

Touchdowns – The Heart of Scoring in Football

You’ve heard of touchdowns; everyone has. This is the biggest single score that can be attained during the course of a football game, being worth a total of six points. A touchdown can determine the outcome of the entire game but here’s the catch: to score a touchdown, the ball needs to reach the end zone by one of the following methods:

• Being Carried by the Opposing Team
• Caught in the End Zone by Opposing Team
• Fumble Recovered in Endzone
• Untouched Kickoff Recovered in Endzone by Kicking Team

Though a touchdown is a primary method of scoring in football, it is one of the toughest to achieve.

Safety – Tackled Behind the Goal Line

A safety is an event that happens when the offensive ball carrier is tackled behind his own goal line. This method of scoring will award the team with two points.

Extra point – Right After the Touchdown

Right after the touchdown, the ball is put on the opposing team’s two-yard line, and the offense can do one of two things. Normally, they will kick it for an extra point, but they also have the option of scoring two points by running or throwing the football into the end zone. This is the same method as scoring a touchdown, but as a point of interest, it is much more difficult to score the two points.

Field Goal – Over and Through

If the offense is unable to score a touchdown, then they may go for the three-point option of a field goal. These can be attempted from any position on the field, but generally, they are kicked from the 45-yard line. The ball must pass through the uprights and over the crossbar in order for the goal to be considered good, so if it bounces off the crossbar, the attempt is no longer valid.

Now you know how the scoring works, and it’s not as complicated as you thought! You’re ready for the next big game whether it’s a regular season game or the Super Bowl, and you can cheer right along with everyone else.

TAGS: FOOTBALL SCORING, NFL, SCORING, WORLD OF FOOTBALL