American football is a fast-paced and exciting contact sport. To truly appreciate the game, a basic understanding of football rules is required. The game can seem confusing to novices and hard to follow. The rules of the game are designed to provide structure and ensure the safety of the players.
Field
Football rules dictate that the field is 100 yards long and 160 feet wide, with additional 10-yard end zones after each goal line. Yard markings are clearly noted on the field every 10 yards.
Personnel
Each football team is permitted 11 players on the field at any time. Offensively, a team must have five offensive linemen on every play. These five linemen are permitted to block defenders, but not permitted to go down field and catch a forward pass. Every other offensive player is allowed to run with the ball or throw a forward pass. Only one forward pass is allowed per play and the pass must be released behind the original line of scrimmage where the play began.
Downs
The offensive team is allowed four plays, or "downs," to gain 10 yards. If the team makes 10 yards, it gains a fresh set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards after four downs, it loses possession of the ball to the other team at the point the ball ends up. A down is over when an offensive player is tackled, runs out of bounds, or a pass falls incomplete. On fourth down, the offense will often take the option of punting the ball down field to the opposition for better field position, or kicking a field goal. Kicking a field goal through the goal posts awards a football team three points.
Penalties
When a football player breaks the rules, game officials will throw a yellow flag. Most penalties punish the violating team with a five-, 10-, or 15-yard penalty, moving them backwards and replaying the down. The "pass interference" penalty differs; the ball is moved to where the foul was committed and, as a result, can draw bigger yardage losses. Common penalties include delay of game, holding or grabbing the face mask of a player's helmet.
Scoring
When a player crosses into the opposition's end zone with the ball, a touchdown is scored and the player's team gains six points. The team also has the opportunity to convert the touchdown. A conversion attempt takes place from two yards out, and a team can kick a ball through the goal posts for one point. If an offensive player is tackled behind his own goal line, then the team on defense earns two points.
Timing
A football game last 60 minutes and is divided into four quarters of 15 minutes. The clock stops after a time out, when the offense runs out of bounds, or a pass falls incomplete. If the score is tied in a football game, overtime is played. In the National Football League, an extra 15-minute "sudden death" overtime period is played. The first team to score during sudden death wins.
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