Being a fan of American Football means speaking the lingo. Fans throw around countless football terms and phrases during games and knowing what they mean can give you a better understanding of what’s going on, as well as a way to connect with fellow fans.
That’s why we put together a glossary of terms and phrases to help fans understand the lingo of the game and learn more about American football.
NFL Officials Terms
- Referee (R) – The head official in an NFL game. Announces penalties signaled by other officials and watches for fouls around the line of scrimmage and the quarterback.
- Umpire (U) – Stands around the linebackers and typically monitors the offensive line during each play.
- Down Judge (DJ) – Positioned along the line of scrimmage. Keeps track of the down and counts the number of offensive players on the field for each play.
- Line Judge (LJ) – Positioned along the line of scrimmage opposite the down judge. Monitors penalties at the line of scrimmage before plays.
- Field Judge (FJ) – Helps track time and monitors the action down the field.
- Side Judge (SJ) – Monitors the play downfield for pass interference and counts defensive players before each play.
- Back Judge (BJ) – Monitors the area down the field and rules if the play clock has expired.
NFL Field Terms
- Chain Crew – A group of eight people provided by the home team. Operates the 10-yard chain (this tracks where the ball is positioned and where the offense needs to reach to get a first down).
- End Zone – The area at the end of each side of the field. It’s 10 yards long and 160 feet wide and it’s where teams must get the ball to score a touchdown.
- Goal Lines – The line that separates the end zone from the field of play.
- Goalposts – Object placed behind the end line. Consists of a crossbar 10 feet off the ground and two 35-foot uprights 18.5 feet apart.
- Offensive Backfield – The area behind the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback and running backs typically line up here before a play.
- Tackle Box or Pocket – The area the quarterback occupies immediately after taking the snap behind the line of scrimmage.
- Yard lines – Vertical lines that run the width of a football field marking every five-yard interval.
NFL Scoring Terms
- Extra Point – Following a touchdown, the scoring team has an opportunity to complete a 33-yard kick to score one additional point on top of the six points for scoring a touchdown.
- Field Goal – If the offense fails to score a touchdown, they can successfully kick the ball through the uprights to earn three points on a field goal.
- Safety (Score) – If the defense tackles the ball carrier in the end zone on the offense’s half of the field or the offense commits a penalty inside its own end zone, the team on defense is awarded two points for a safety.
- Touchdown – When the ball carrier reaches the end zone, it is called a touchdown with that team receiving six points.
- Two-Point Conversion – Following a touchdown, the offensive team can choose to run an additional play from the two-yard line. If that play results in the ball carrier reaching the end zone, the team on offense is awarded two points.
NFL Timing Terms
- 25-second Play Clock – Following an administrative stoppage in play, the offense will have 25 seconds to snap the ball.
- 40-second Play Clock – In between plays, the offense has 40 seconds to snap the ball.
- Half Time – After two 15-minute quarters, there is a 12-minute half-time period before playing two more 15-minute quarters.
- Injury Timeouts – If a player needs assistance leaving the field after a play, the referee will signal an injury time-out.
- Quarters – Every NFL game consists of four 15-minute quarters.
- Timeout – Each team is allowed three timeouts per half in an NFL game.
- Two-Minute Warning – In the second and fourth quarters, there is an official time-out when the clock reaches two minutes.
NFL Game Terms
- Catch – A receiver must have control of the ball and have both feet in bounds to successfully catch a forward pass thrown to him.
- Coin Toss – Every NFL game begins with a coin toss to decide what team kicks off and what side of the field each team will defend.
- Down or Play – In the NFL, the offense has four downs (or plays) to earn a first down. That resets everything, giving them another four downs to earn another first down or touchdown.
- Down by Contact – When a player is ruled down to end a play by their knee or elbow hitting the ground after being touched by a defensive player.
- Eligible Receiver – On each play, five players are eligible to receive a forward pass from the quarterback.
- Fair Catch – When returning a punt, the punt returner may wave his arm to signal a fair catch. This means players on the other team may not make contact with him before or after he catches the ball. The punt return is not allowed to run forward with the ball after making the catch.
- Forward Progress – If the ball carrier loses possession to a defender or because the ball went out of bounds, the ball will be spotted at the furthest point of their progress even if they had been driven backward.
- Fumble – When the ball carrier loses possession of the ball, making it legal for any player to take over possession.
- Huddle – The offense typically gathers together before each play to coordinate the role of each player during it.
- Ineligible Receiver – Five players on the offense are not eligible to receive a forward pass on any given play. Typically, they are the five offensive linemen.
- Interception – When a forward pass is caught by a member of the defense.
- Kickoff – Following a score or at the beginning of each half, one team will kick the ball to the other end of the field for the other team to receive the ball.
- Lateral – Any pass that is thrown sideways or behind the passer. If not caught, it results in a fumble rather than an incomplete pass.
- Line of Scrimmage – The yard-line where the ball is positioned before any given play.
- Line to Gain – The yard line the offense must reach to get a first down.
- Muff – When a punt returner or kick returner fails to catch the ball securely, leaving it open to anyone to recover it.
- Neutral Zone – The one-yard area across the width of the field along the line of scrimmage. Neither team’s players can be in the neutral zone before the ball is snapped.
- No-Huddle Offense – When the offense wants to score quickly, they may line up without huddling to move faster and save time.
- Punt – If a team is too far to score a touchdown or kick a field goal on fourth down, they may punt the ball away to the other team.
- Snap – When the ball is delivered to the quarterback from the center at the start of a play.
- Snap Count – The number of plays in which a player participated during a given game.
- Tackle – When a defensive player knocks the ball carrier to the ground, ending the play.
- Touchback – If a kickoff or punt goes into the end zone with a returner making an effort to run it back, the kick is called a touchback with the offense starting at their 20-yard line following a punt or the 25-yard line following a kickoff.
- Turnover – When the defense takes possession of the ball due to a fumble recovery or interception.
- Turnover on Downs – When the offense fails to earn a first down on a fourth-down play. The opposing team takes possession of the ball where the fourth-down play ended.
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