What Are The Five Ways To Score Points In American Football?

John Rizzo

Updated on:

In American football, scoring points is important in order to win. There are five ways to score points in American football: Touchback, Field goal, Punt, Safety, and Two Point Conversion.

American Football

Source: bleacherreport

What Are The Five Ways To Score Points In American Football

In American football, the five ways to score points are as follows: touchdown, field goal, pass completion, interception, and tackle.

Score A Touchdown

In American football, scoring a touchdown is the primary way to win the game. To score a touchdown, you need to touch the ball down in the end zone for a point. There are five ways to score points in American football:

Touchback – The ball is kicked off from inside your own half of the field and returns to the original spot, allowing you to score a touchback. This can only be done on a kickoff.
Punt – A punt is a kick that is placed into play with the intention of returning it to the opposing team’s end zone for a touchback or an interception. If it is caught by the other team, they are given possession at their own 20-yard line.

Interception – An interception occurs when the defending team secures possession of an opponent’s pass before it can be thrown into play. This gives their own team possession at their opponents’ 25-yard line.
Rushing Touchdown – Rushing touchdowns are scored when someone scores on a play that starts from within their own half of the field and ends inside their opponents’ end zone (at or beyond the goal line). This includes any type of run, such as a quarterback sneak or running back dive.
Passing Touchdown – Passing touchdowns are scored when someone scores on a pass that is caught by someone else and brought into their end zone before it can be intercepted by the opposing team.

Get Into The End Zone

To score a touchdown, you must get into the end zone. This is simply a matter of crossing the goal line and touching down. You can do this by running with the ball or catching it in midair and then carrying it into the end zone.

Score A Touchback

If you catch the ball at your own 20-yard line and then run all the way to the other end zone, you will score a touchback. This means that your team gets to start from their 20-yard line instead of their opponents’ 10-yard line on ensuing possession.

Touch Down In The Opponent’s End Zone

This is a rare occurrence, but if you manage to catch the ball in your opponent’s end zone and take off running, you will score a touchdown. This is considered one of the most difficult touchdowns to achieve because it requires great athleticism and luck.

Kick The Ball Through The Goalposts

To score points on kicking duty, you must kick the ball through both of the goalposts (or through one post and out of bounds). This is usually done by kicking it high into the air and thenhitting it as hard as possible with your foot while it’s still in flight.

Extra Point After A Touchdown Or Field Goal

If your team scores a touchdown or field goal, an extra point will be awarded (after which the opposing team starts from their own 10-yard line).

Make A Field Goal

When making a field goal, there are five ways to score points in American football: Kick the ball through the uprights, touch it to another player for a touchdown, run with the ball into the end zone, catch a pass in the end zone and then run back out of bounds for a touchback, or kick an extra point after scoring a touchdown.

American Football

Source: marca

The most important part of making a field goal is orienting yourself before you take your shot. To make sure you have good footing and control of the ball, always practice kicking at home or inside a football stadium. Once you’ve taken aim and released the ball, keep your eyes on it until it goes into the uprights; don’t look away until it crosses the line of scrimmage.

If you kick the ball high enough and wide enough, chances are good that it will go through one of the uprights; if not, try again. When catching a pass in the end zone and then running back out of bounds for a touchback (known as “touchback punt”), be sure to keep your hands on your head so you can avoid being tackled by defenders outside of the end zone area.

When kicking an extra point after scoring a touchdown (or converting on fourth down from within one yard of an opposing goal line), do not hesitate – just let fly! Although each field goal is different – depending on how far from centerfield your kicker is – follow these general tips to score more points:

  • hold onto the ball longer when kicking off
  • release the ball faster when kicking off from within ten yards of your opponent’s end zone
  • place higher kicks (between and inches) nearer to midfield
  • aim lower kicks (below inches) towards either sideline or behind your team’s offense line

Learn all about American football rules here before getting ready to take on opponents this fall season!

Recover The Ball From The Opponent’s End Zone

In American football, the object of the game is to score points by recovering the ball from the opponent’s end zone. There are five ways to score points in American football:

1) Touchback – The ball is recovered by the receiving team at their own 20-yard line.
2) Kickoff – The ball is kicked off from the opponents’ 35-yard line and touchbacks are not allowed.
3) Punt – A punt is a kick that is sent into the air with the intent of returning it to the ground as a touchback. If it is caught by either team, it becomes a live ball and can be played at any point on the field.
4) Interception – An interception occurs when a player grabs the ball after it has been thrown by an opposing player and returns it to his or her own team’s possession.
5) Fumble – A fumble happens when a player loses control of the ball while trying to carry it or run with it.

Recover the Ball from the opponent’s End Zone

This is one of the most important tasks in American football. If you can recover the ball from the opponent’s end zone, you will score three points. This is a difficult task, and it requires good teamwork and coordination.

Block the Opponent’s Player

If you can block the opponent’s player, you will score two points. Blocking is an essential part of American football, and it helps to protect your team’s goal area.

Get a Touchback

If you get a touchback, you will score one point. A touchback occurs when the ball goes out of bounds on either side of the field after being touched by a player on either team. This is an important statistic because it gives your team another chance to gain possession of the ball.

Pass The Ball To A Teammate In The Open Field

In American football, one of the main ways to score points is by passing the ball to a teammate in the Open Field. This allows them to run with the ball and score a touchdown or make a catch for a gain.

Pass to a teammate in the Open Field

When you pass the ball to a teammate in the open field, you are scoring three points. This is one of the most important plays in American football and will often result in a touchdown.

Make A Sack

If you make a sack, you are scoring two points. This means that you catch the opposing quarterback and take him down or force him to throw an incomplete pass.

Touch The Ball After It’s Touched By Another Player

If you touch the ball after it has been touched by another player, you are scoring one point. This is known as a touchback and it happens when the ball goes out of bounds on either side of your own team’s end zone.

Tackle An Opponent

To score points in American football, you must be able to tackle an opponent. Tackling an opponent is key to gaining possession of the ball and advancing down the field. When tackling, keep your body low to the ground and use your arms and legs to bring your opponent down.

If you are successful in bringing your opponent to the ground, make sure you stay on top of them so they can’t get up. Remember that defenders are allowed to hit opponents with their fists and heads, as long as they are trying to take the player down or stop him from scoring a touchdown.

Make sure you know where your teammates are at all times, so you can help take down the opposition together. Practice makes perfect when it comes to tackling, so don’t be discouraged if you make mistakes early on in your game career. Just like any other sport, practice makes perfect when it comes to playing American football – so start practicing today!

Finally, never forget that teamwork is essential when playing American football – work together as a team and you will be unstoppable! And lastly, have fun while playing American football – after all, it’s one of the most exciting sports out there!

To Recap

The Five Ways to Score Points in American Football are as follows:

1. Touchback – The ball is kicked off from the line of scrimmage and goes back towards the opponents’ end zone, where a player on either team can touch it to score a point.

2. Punt – A player on the kicking team kicks the ball forward, and if it travels at least ten yards through the air, the opposing team can take possession of the ball. If it’s caught by a player on the other team, they can advance the ball as long as they hand it off to another teammate before taking more than three steps; if not, they must punt it.

3. Field Goal – A player on the kicking team takes a snap from center and attempts to kick the ball through the uprights between their legs (or through any part of an upright), which counts as one point if successful.

4. Touchback + Field Goal – This happens when both teams have had an opportunity to score points by advancing the ball into their opponent’s end zone.

If one team manages to score a touchdown with their touchback return or field goal attempt first, that team then gains possession of the football and can run out of bounds or attempt a field goal of their own to increase their lead.

5. Safety – When two players from opposite teams come together near midfield with no eligible receivers within five yards of either of them, a safety is called and play ends immediately; this also results in a turnover for whichever team caused the safety.

Photo of author

John Rizzo

I am a professional rugby player in the Washington DC-Baltimore area. I have been playing rugby for over 10 years and have had the opportunity to play in many different countries. I am also a coach for both youth and adult rugby teams. I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Sports Management and Marketing. I am currently working on my MPA from American University and plan to pursue this career path after graduating next year. LinkedIn

Leave a Comment