Glossary & FAQs
“What does that word mean?”
39 football words in plain English, plus answers to the questions every new fan asks.
Pick a place to start
Four ways into the game
Positions
“What does that player do?”
Meet all 22 players on the field. Tap a spot on the diagram to see each one's job.
Game
“How can I impress my friends?”
History, trivia, watching tips, college vs. pro, and what fantasy football is all about.
Rules
“What just happened?”
Downs, scoring, the field, penalties, and what the referee's arm signals mean.
Brand new to football?
Four downs to football fluency
Just like a team gets four tries to move the ball, here are four short stops that take you from zero to following along.
- 1st Learn the goal Two teams, 11 players each, and one end zone to reach.
- 2nd Count the downs Why teams get four tries to go ten yards, and what happens if they don't.
- 3rd See how scoring works Touchdowns, field goals, extra points and the rare safety.
- 4th Watch like you know Spot a blitz or a passing play before the ball is even snapped.
Touchdown! Now learn what the referee is telling you with those arm signals.
Who's who
22 players. One field.
Eleven on offense trying to score, eleven on defense trying to stop them. Once you know who stands where, the whole game starts to make sense.
Quick huddle
Learn one thing right now
Term to know
- BlitzA play where the defense sends extra players rushing at the line of scrimmage the moment the ball is snapped, trying to sack the quarterback.See in glossary ›
- SackA tackle of the quarterback behind his own line of scrimmage.See in glossary ›
- Red ZoneThe area between the defense's 20-yard line and its goal line, where the offense is most likely to score.See in glossary ›
- Fair CatchWhen a kick returner raises and waves one hand to catch a punt or kickoff without running it back, so he can't be hit.See in glossary ›
- Nickel DefenseWhen the defense brings in a fifth defensive back in place of a linebacker to cover more passes.See in glossary ›
- Play-Action PassA passing play where the quarterback first fakes handing the ball off.See in glossary ›
- TouchbackWhen a player downs the ball in his own end zone and the next play starts at his own 20-yard line.See in glossary ›
- FumbleWhen the ball carrier drops the ball or has it knocked away before the play ends. Whoever recovers it gets the ball.See in glossary ›
Did you know?
- The first football game was played on Nov. 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton. Each team had 25 players, and they moved the ball by butting it with their heads.More trivia ›
- The forward pass was legal but rarely used until 1913, when Notre Dame players figured out that catching the ball on the run worked much better.More trivia ›
- President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to make football illegal in 1906 because the game was so brutal. There were few penalties and no helmets or pads.More trivia ›
- The oldest NFL team is the Chicago Bears, who started out in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys.More trivia ›
- Ernie Nevers scored 40 points in one game in 1929: six touchdowns and four extra points against the Chicago Bears. It's still the record.More trivia ›
- Few Americans cared about pro football until the 1958 NFL Championship between the Giants and Colts was broadcast on TV to 30 million viewers.More trivia ›
Questions everyone asks