Football, also known as American football or gridiron, is a sport that is played between two teams of 11 players each. It is a fast-paced game that can be difficult to understand for the beginner, but once you understand the rules, it’s easy to follow and enjoy.
The game is governed by a referee who runs the play and monitors the clock. Two assistants are on the touch lines, or sidelines, who signal to the referee when a player is offside or if the ball goes out of play.
In the game of football, each team has four chances (or “downs”) to get 10 yards into their opponent’s end zone. If the offense can get those ten yards, they get another set of four downs to try to move further down the field.
If they fail to do this, possession is given back to the defending team. This is called a “fourth down” and the defending team will typically try to score points before they give up their own possession of the ball.
When a team advances a certain amount of yards into their opponent’s end zone, they earn a touchdown. This is worth 6 points and can be achieved through a series of run and pass plays or by kicking the ball between goalposts.
The defending team can stop the offensive team from scoring by putting pressure on them with a series of defensive moves called blitzing, which involve moving the defensive players up the field and disrupting the quarterback’s passing play. If the defending team’s players can force the quarterback to fumble or throw the ball out of bounds, the game is over.