American Football - 美式足球

American football, known in the United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for its physical roughness despite being a highly strategic game. The object of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone, kicking a field goal, or scoring a safety by tackling an opposing team's ball-carrier in his own end zone. The ball can be advanced either by carrying it or by throwing it to a teammate. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires and the last play ends.

美式橄榄球，在美国简称为橄榄球，尽管是一项极具策略性的运动，但其以身体粗暴的团队竞技著称。比赛的目的是通过将球推进到对方的端区，踢进一球，或在对方的端区擒获对方的持球人，从而获得安全得分。球可以通过带球前进，也可以将球抛给队友。当时间结束，最后一场比赛结束时，得分最多的队为胜。

American football descended from rugby football, played in the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century. The first game of college football was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University. The first modernized game was on June 4, 1875 between Harvard University and Tufts University.

美式足球源于十九世纪中叶在英国的橄榄球。第一场大学足球比赛是1869年11月6日罗格斯大学和普林斯顿大学之间的比赛。第一场现代化的比赛则是1875年6月4日在哈佛大学和塔夫茨大学之间进行的。

Professional football developed in the mill towns of Pennsylvania and the American Midwest in the early twentieth century. The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, and is now comprised of 32 teams. Today, football is the most popular American sport, with the day of the NFL championship—the Super Bowl—being one of the biggest occasions for social gatherings in the United States.

20世纪初，职业足球在宾夕法尼亚州的磨坊镇和美国中西部地区发展起来。美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）于1920年在俄亥俄州坎顿市成立，目前由32支球队组成。今天，足球是美国最受欢迎的运动，争夺NFL冠军的日子——超级碗——是美国最大的社交聚会场合之一。

Outside the United States, the sport is referred to as American football to differentiate it from other football games. In Australia and New Zealand, the game is known as Gridiron, although in America the word “gridiron” refers only to the playing field. Variations of the game include Canadian football and Arena football.

在美国以外，这项运动被称为美式足球，以区别于其他足球比赛。在澳大利亚和新西兰，这项运动被称为“网格”，虽然在美国，“网格”一词仅指比赛场地。美式足球的变体包括加拿大足球和竞技场足球。

American football dates from the early 1800s when teams in various colleges and secondary schools met. They usually played by kicking or batting at the ball, as in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom. In 1867, the convergence of various developments at Eastern colleges and schools led to the codification of American football. Rutgers University and Princeton University played the first recorded game of American college football on November 6, 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, won by Rutgers 6-4. Today, Rutgers is popularly recognized as the “Birthplace of College Football.” However, English Football Association rules were followed in this Princeton/Rutgers contest; participants were only allowed to kick the ball, not handle it; and each side had 25 men. Thus, some see the Princeton-Rutgers meeting of 1869 as the first intercollegiate game of “soccer” in America, but not American football (Smith 1988). In 1870, Rutgers invited Columbia for a game, and the popularity of intercollegiate competition in football would spread throughout the country.

美式足球起源于19世纪初，当时各高校和中学的球队相遇。他们通常以踢球或击球的方式进行比赛，就像在英国玩的各式足球一样。1867年，东部高校和学校的各种发展融合在一起，促成了美式足球（规则）的编纂。1869年11月6日，罗格斯大学和普林斯顿大学在新泽西州的新不伦瑞克进行了有记录的第一场美国大学足球比赛，罗格斯大学以6比4获胜。如今，罗格斯大学被大众公认为“大学足球的发源地”。不过，普林斯顿和罗格斯的这场比赛遵循的是英格兰足球协会的规则，参赛者只允许踢球，而不允许以手持球，而且双方各有25人。因此，有研究者将1869年普林斯顿-罗格斯的比赛视作美国第一场“英式足球”校际比赛，但不是美式足球（Smith，1988）。1870年，罗格斯大学邀请哥伦比亚大学进行比赛，校际足球比赛的流行将传遍全国。

Dartmouth College students played a football-like game now known as “Old Division Football,” for which they published rules in 1871. In 1873, Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale met to formulate the intercollegiate football rules for the games they played. This meeting is notable for two reasons. First, it is the first attempt at making a single set of rules for all schools to follow. Second, Harvard refused to join the meeting.

达特茅斯学院的学生玩过一种类似于足球的游戏，现在被称为“老式分歧足球”，他们在1871年公布了这种游戏的规则。1873年，哥伦比亚大学、罗格斯大学、普林斯顿大学和耶鲁大学召开会议，为他们玩的游戏制定校际足球规则。这次会议之所以引人注目，有两个原因。第一，它是第一次尝试制定一套单一的规则，让所有学校都能遵守。第二，哈佛大学拒绝加入这次会议。

Harvard University and Tufts University played one of the “first” games that would be recognizable to modern fans as American football on June 4, 1875 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Mass., won by Tufts 1-0. A report of the outcome of this game appeared in the Boston Daily Globe on June 5, 1875. In the Tufts-Harvard game participants were allowed to pick up the ball and run with it, each side fielded 11 men, the ball carrier was stopped by knocking him down or “tackling” him, and the inflated ball was egg-shaped. A year prior to the Tufts-Harvard game, Harvard faced McGill University of Montreal, Canada on May 14, 1874 in a game under rules similar to the Tufts-Harvard game. To this day, Harvard, McGill, and Tufts continue to field football teams though they no longer play each other.

1875年6月4日，哈佛大学和塔夫茨大学在马萨诸塞州剑桥市的贾维斯球场进行了一场“最早”的比赛，这场比赛被现代球迷称为美式足球，塔夫茨大学以1比0获胜。1875年6月5日，《波士顿每日环球报》刊登了关于这场比赛结果的报道。在塔夫茨-哈佛的比赛中，参赛者可以以手持球，带着球跑，双方各出动11人，通过将持球者击倒或“擒拿”的方式来阻止他，使用的是是充气的蛋形球。在塔夫茨-哈佛比赛前一年，即1874年5月14日，哈佛大学对阵加拿大蒙特利尔的麦吉尔大学，比赛规则与塔夫茨-哈佛比赛类似。时至今日，哈佛大学、麦吉尔大学和塔夫茨大学虽然不再相互比赛，但仍继续派出足球队。

Encouraged by Yale University's Walter Camp, the schools began to adopt the rules that would differentiate American football from rugby in the 1880s. The scrimmage was introduced in 1880 and the system of downs in 1882.

在耶鲁大学（足球教练）沃尔特·坎普的鼓励下，学校在19世纪80年代开始采用美式足球与橄榄球不同的规则。“混战”于1880年开始实行，“倒台”制度于1882年开始实行。

However, by the turn of the twentieth century, football had become notoriously dangerous, and 18 college players died in 1905 alone. Colleges responded with a series of rule changes to open up the game, most importantly the forward pass, along with outlawing dangerous formations such as the “flying wedge,” and introducing and requiring better equipment such as helmets. The game achieved its modern form by 1912, when the field was changed to its current size, the value of a touchdown increased to six points, and a fourth down added to each possession.

然而，到了20世纪初，足球已经变得臭名昭著，仅1905年就有18名大学球员死亡。高校的回应是一系列规则的改变，以开放比赛，最重要的是向前传球，以及取缔“飞楔”等危险阵型，并引入和要求更好的防护装备，如头盔。到了1912年，比赛达到了现代的形式，场地改成了现在的大小，达阵的价值增加到了6分，每次进攻还增加了第四次进攻。

Originally dominated by the Ivy League, football soon captured the interest of colleges nationwide. By 1916, when the Rose Bowl game matching eastern and western teams became an annual event, football had developed a national following, second only to baseball among team sports.

足球最初是由常春藤联盟主导的，很快就引起了全国高校的兴趣。到了1916年，当东西部球队对阵的玫瑰碗比赛成为一年一度的盛事时，足球已经在全国范围内形成了追随者，在团队运动中仅次于棒球。

Professional football developed in the mill towns of Pennsylvania and the American Midwest in the early years of the twentieth century. The future National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio as the American Professional Football Association; it adopted its current name in 1922. Professional football remained a largely regional sport of secondary importance to college football until after World War II, when television broadcasts boosted NFL football's national appeal. The professional game had surpassed both college football and baseball in popularity by the early 1970s. The first Super Bowl—between the champions of the NFL and the rival American Football League—was played in 1967, and the leagues merged in 1970.

20世纪初，职业足球在宾夕法尼亚州和美国中西部的诸多磨坊小镇发展起来。未来的美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）于1920年在俄亥俄州坎顿成立，名为美国职业足球协会，1922年采用了现在的名称。直到第二次世界大战之前，职业足球仍是次重要于大学足球的区域性运动，电视转播提升了NFL足球的全国吸引力。职业比赛已经超过了大学足球和棒球的普及程度，到20世纪70年代初。第一届超级碗——在NFL的冠军和竞争对手美国足球联盟之间——于1967年举行，联盟于1970年合并。

Befitting its status as a popular sport, football is played in leagues of different size, age, and quality, in all regions of the country. Organized football is played almost exclusively by men and boys, although a few amateur and semi-professional women's leagues have begun in recent years.

作为一项大众运动，足球在美国各地区都有不同规模、年龄和质量的联赛。有组织的足球运动几乎完全是由男子和男孩参与的，尽管近年来开始了一些业余和半职业的女性联赛。

The 32-team National Football League (NFL) is currently the only major professional American football league. There are no developmental or minor leagues, but the similar sports Arena football and Canadian football are considered lower-level leagues.

由32支球队组成的美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）是目前唯一的主要美国职业橄榄球联盟。虽然没有发展联盟或小联盟，但类似的运动项目“六人制足球”和“加式橄榄球”被认为是较低级别的联盟。

College football is also popular throughout North America. Nearly every college and university has a football team, no matter its size, and plays in its own stadium. The largest, most popular collegiate teams routinely fill stadiums larger than 60,000. Several college stadiums seat more than 100,000 fans and usually fill them to capacity. The weekly autumn ritual of college football includes marching bands, cheerleaders, homecoming parties, and the tailgate party, and forms an important part of the culture in much of small town America. Football is generally the major source of revenue to the athletic programs of schools, public and private, in the United States.

大学橄榄球在整个北美地区也很流行。几乎每个学院和大学都有一支橄榄球队，无论其规模大小，都在自己的体育场里比赛。最大、最受欢迎的大学球队的比赛通常会使得能容纳六万人的体育场爆满。有几所大学的体育场能容纳10万以上的球迷，而且通常都是满座的。大学橄榄球每周的秋季仪式包括军乐队、拉拉队、返校节派对和尾门派对，并构成了美国许多小镇文化的重要组成部分。足球一般是美国公立和私立学校体育项目收入的主要来源。

Most American high schools also have football teams. In the Southern United States, many schools regularly fill stadiums holding over 10,000 fans and can afford artificial playing surfaces. Since high schools in the United States are tied to the town they are situated in, the football team is often a chief source of civic pride in small towns, and football heroes are very well-regarded in their communities.

大多数美国高中也有橄榄球队。在美国南部，许多学校的体育场经常能容纳1万多名球迷，并能负担起人工比赛场地。由于美国的高中与其所在的城镇紧密相连，足球队往往是小城镇公民自豪感的主要来源，足球英雄在社区中备受推崇。

Football is also played recreationally by amateur and youth teams (e.g., the Pop Warner little-league programs). There are also many “semi-pro” teams in leagues where the players are paid to play but at a small enough salary that they generally must also hold a full-time job.

业余和青年队伍挑起了娱乐性足球的担子（例如，流行的华纳小联盟比赛）。在许多“半职业”球队的联赛中，球员是有报酬的，但只有一份小得够可以的工资，所以他们一般还必须有一份全职工作。

Due to the violence and expense of the sport, many football games involve variations of the rules to minimize contact. These include touch football and flag football, both of which do not involve tackling and usually omit helmets and padding.

由于这项运动的暴力性及（较高的）花费，许多足球比赛都有不同的规则来减少（球员间的）接触。其中包括触式足球和旗式足球，这两种运动都不涉及擒抱，通常省去了头盔和护垫。

Football is an autumn sport. A season typically begins in mid-to-late August and runs through December, into January. The professional playoffs run through January.

足球是一项秋季运动。一个赛季一般从8月中下旬开始，贯穿整个12月，直到到1月。职业季后赛则贯穿整个1月。

It is a long-standing tradition in the United States, though not universally observed, that high school football games are played on Friday night, college games on Saturday, and professional games on Sunday. In the 1970s, the NFL began to schedule one game on Monday night on ABC¹⁾. In recent years, nationally televised Thursday night college games have become a weekly fixture on ESPN²⁾.

在美国，高中橄榄球比赛在周五晚上进行，大学比赛在周六进行，而职业比赛在周日进行，这是一个由来已久的传统，虽然没有得到普遍遵守。20世纪70年代，美国国家橄榄球联盟开始将一场比赛安排在周一晚上在ABC电视台³⁾转播。近年来，全国电视转播的周四晚上的大学比赛已经成为ESPN⁴⁾每周的固定节目。

Certain fall and winter holidays—most notably Thanksgiving and New Year's Day—have traditional football games associated with them.

某些秋季和冬季假期，尤其是感恩节和元旦，都有与之相关的传统足球比赛。

The professional Canadian Football League and collegiate Canadian Interuniversity Sport play under Canadian rules, which involve fewer downs, a wider field, more players, and thus emphasize the passing game more than the NFL. The NFL operated a developmental league, NFL Europa, with teams in five German cities and one in the Netherlands, but this league folded following the 2007 season. The sport is popular as an amateur activity in Mexico and American Samoa and to a lesser extent in Japan, Europe, Korea, The Bahamas, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Australia (Gridiron Australia), Israel, and the United Kingdom (BAFL).

加拿大职业橄榄球联盟和加拿大大学间体育学院按照加拿大的规则进行比赛，其中涉及较少的下场次数、较宽的场地、较多的球员，因此比NFL更强调传球。NFL运营了一个发展联盟：NFL欧洲，在德国的五个城市和荷兰的一个城市都有球队，但这个联盟在2007年赛季后倒闭。美式足球运动作为一项业余活动在墨西哥和美属萨摩亚很受欢迎，在日本、欧洲、韩国、巴哈马、智利、巴西、乌拉圭、阿根廷、澳大利亚、以色列和英国也有一定程度的普及。

The International Federation of American Football is the governing body for American football with 45 member associations from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The IFAF also oversees the American Football World Cup, which is held every four years. Japan won the first two World Cups, held in 1999 and 2003. Team USA, which had not participated in the previous World Cups, won the title in 2007. Despite this, the game has been slow to catch on in most countries.

国际美式足球联合会是美式足球的管理机构，有来自南北美洲、欧洲、亚洲和大洋洲的45个成员协会。国际足联还负责监督每四年举办一次的美式足球世界杯。1999年和2003年举办的前两届世界杯，日本队都获得了冠军。没有参加过前几届世界杯的美国队在2007年获得了冠军。尽管如此，这项运动在大多数国家的普及速度还是很慢。

The object of American football is to score more points than the opposing team within the time limit of the game.

美式橄榄球的目标是在比赛时限内比对方得分多。

American football is played on a field 120 yards⁵⁾ long by 160 feet⁶⁾ wide. The longer boundary lines are sidelines, while the shorter boundary lines are end lines. Near each end of the field are two goal lines located 100 yards apart. A scoring area called an end zone extends 10 yards⁷⁾ beyond each goal line to each end line.

美式足球是在长120码⁸⁾、宽160英尺⁹⁾的场地上进行。较长的边界线是“边线”，而较短的边界线是“底线”。靠近球场两端是两条相距100码¹⁰⁾的“得分线”。一个被称为端区的得分区域在每条球门线外10码处延伸到每条端线。

Yard lines cross the field every five yards, and are numbered from each goal line to the 50-yard line, or midfield. Two rows of lines, known as hash marks, are interspersed between the yard lines, one yard apart from each other. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks.

“分码线”每隔5码穿过球场，从每条球门线到50码线或中场都有编号。两行线，称为“码标线”，穿插在码线之间，彼此相隔1码。所有的比赛都从球在码标线上或码标线之间开始。

At the back of each end zone are two goal posts (also called uprights) 18.5 feet apart and connected by a crossbar 10 feet from the ground.

在每个端区的后方，有两根相距18.5英尺的“门柱”（也叫“立柱”），并由一根距离地面10英尺的横杆连接。

Each team has 11 players on the field at a time. However, teams may substitute for any or all of their players, if time allows, during the break between plays during time-outs. As a result, players have very specialized roles, and the large majority of the 46 active players on an NFL team will play in any given game. Thus, teams are divided into three separate units: the offense, the defense, and the special teams, which are involved in kicking plays.

每队每次有11名球员上场。但是，如果时间允许，各队可以在暂停期间的比赛间歇期替换任何或全部球员。因此，球员的作用非常专业，NFL球队的46名现役球员中的绝大部分都会在任何一场比赛中出场。因此，球队被分为三个独立的单位：进攻、防守和参与踢球战术的特勤组。

A standard professional or college football game consists of four 15-minute quarters—typically lasting 12 minutes in high-school football—with a half-time intermission after the second quarter. The clock stops after certain plays; therefore, a game lasts considerably longer than the official game time, often more than three hours in real-time. If an NFL game is tied after four quarters, the teams play an additional period lasting up to 15 minutes. In an NFL overtime game, the first team that scores wins; this is referred to as sudden death¹¹⁾. In a regular-season NFL game, if neither team scores in overtime, the game is a tie. In an NFL playoff game, additional overtime periods are played, as needed, to determine a winner. College overtime rules are more complicated.

一场标准的职业或大学足球比赛由四节15分钟的比赛组成，而高中足球比赛中通常持续12分钟，第二节结束后有半场中场休息。在某些比赛结束后，计时会停止；因此，一场比赛持续的时间比官方比赛时间要长得多，经常会超过三个小时。如果一场NFL比赛在四节后打平，那么两队将进行长达15分钟的加时赛。在NFL加时赛中，先得分的球队获胜；这被称为突然死亡法¹²⁾。在NFL常规赛中，如果两队在加时赛中都没有得分，则比赛为平局。在NFL季后赛中，根据需要进行额外的加时赛来决定胜负。大学加时赛的规则比较复杂。

The team that takes possession of the ball (the offense) has four attempts, called downs, to advance the ball ten yards toward their opponent's (the defense's) end zone. When the offense gains ten yards, it gets a first down, which means the team has another set of four downs to gain yet another ten yards or score with. If the offense fails to gain a first down (ten yards) after four downs, the other team gets possession of the ball.

占有球权的一方（进攻方）有四次尝试，称为档，将球推进到对手（防守方）的端区十码。当进攻方获得十码时，它就会获得一档，这意味着该队有另一组四次进攻来获得另一个十码或得分。如果进攻方在四次进攻后未能获得第一次进攻（十码），则对方获得球权。

Before each down, each team chooses a play, or coordinated set of actions, that the players should follow on a down. Sometimes, downs themselves are referred to as “plays.” The plays are usually communicated in a “huddle” in which the players group together so that the play will not be known by the opposing team; however, plays are often called out by the captain on the line of scrimmage. These plays are called “audibles” and often involve codes to prevent the opposing team's understanding.

在每次进攻之前，每支球队都会选择一个战术，或者说一套协调的行动，球员们在进攻时应该遵循。有时，进攻本身被称为“战术”。这些战术通常是在“围观”中传达的，在这个过程中，球员们会聚在一起，这样战术就不会被对方球队知道；但是，战术通常是由队长在防线上喊出来的。这些战术被称为“试探”，往往涉及到密码，以防止对方球队的理解。

Except at the beginning of halves and after scores, the ball is always put into play by a snap. Offensive players line up facing the defensive players at the line of scrimmage—the position on the field where the play begins. One offensive player, the center, then passes (or “snaps”) the ball between his legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback.

除了在半场开始和得分后，球总是通过一个发球进入比赛。进攻队员在防守队员面前排成一排，面对着防守队员的防线，也就是比赛开始的位置。一名进攻球员，即中锋，然后将球从他的两腿之间传给（或“发球给”）队友，通常是四分卫。

Players can then advance the ball in two ways:

选手可以通过两种方法带球前进：

1. By running with the ball, also known as rushing. One ball-carrier can hand the ball to another player or pass the ball through the air backwards to another player. These are known as a handoff and a lateral respectively.
2. By throwing the ball forward to a teammate, known as a forward pass or as passing the football. The offense can throw the ball forward only once on a play, and only before crossing the line of scrimmage.

1. 通过带球跑动，又称冲球（又译跑阵）。一名持球队员可以将球交给另一名队员，也可以将球从空中向后传给另一名队员。它们分别称为递传和横向传球。
2. 通过将球向前投给队友，称为前传或向前传球。进攻方在一次比赛中只能向前投球一次，而且只能在越过防线之前投球。

A down ends, and the ball becomes dead, after any of the following:

在下列任何一种情况下，一次“档”结束后，球成为死球。

• The player with the ball is forced to the ground (tackled) or has his forward progress halted by members of the other team.
• A forward pass touches the ground before it is caught or is caught out of bounds. This is known as an incomplete pass. The ball is returned to the most recent line of scrimmage for the next down.
• The ball or the player with the ball goes beyond the dimensions of the field (out of bounds).
• A team scores.

• 持球队员被迫倒地（被擒抱）或其进攻已被对方球员拦阻。
• 前传球在被接住前触地或出界，这被称为不成功传球。球被送回最近的防线然后进行下一次进攻。
• 球或持球队员超出场地范围（出界）。
• 一队得分。

Officials blow a whistle to notify players that the down is over.

裁判吹响哨子，通知球员们下场就算作比赛结束。

The offense maintains possession of the ball unless one of the following things occur:

进攻方保持对球的控制，除非发生下列情况之一：

• The team fails to get a first down (i.e., in four downs they fail to move ten yards ahead of where they got their last first down). The defensive team takes over the ball at the spot where the fourth-down play ends.
• The offense scores a touchdown or field goal. The team that scored then kicks the ball to the other team in a special play called a kickoff.
• The offense punts the ball to the defense. A punt is a kick in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. Punts are nearly always made on a fourth down when the offensive team does not want to risk giving up the ball to the other team at its current spot on the field and feels it is too far from the other team's goalposts to attempt a field goal.
• A defensive player catches a forward pass. This is called an interception, and the player who makes the interception can run with the ball until he is tackled, forced out of bounds, or scores.
• An offensive player loses the ball (a fumble) before being tackled and a defensive player picks it up. As with interceptions, a player “recovering” a fumble can run with the ball until tackled or forced out of bounds. Lateral passes that are not caught, or caught by a defensive player, are considered fumbles. Lost fumbles and interceptions are together known as turnovers. In college rules, a player who recovers the ball by falling on it, may not advance the ball even if he has not been tackled.
• The offensive team misses a field goal attempt. In this case, the defensive team gets the ball at the spot where the previous play began or—in the NFL—at the spot of the kick. If the unsuccessful kick was attempted from within 20 yards of the end zone, the other team gets the ball at its own 20-yard line (that is, 20 yards from the end zone).
• The defense forces a “safety.” If an offensive ball-carrier is tackled or forced out of bounds in his own end-zone—or loses the ball out of bounds there, or the offense commits certain penalties in the end-zone—the defense scores a “safety,” worth two points. The offense must then kick the ball to the defense from its own 20-yard line.
• An offensive ballcarrier fumbles the ball forward into the end zone and then the ball goes out of bounds. This rare occurrence leads to a touchback, with the ball going over to the opposing team at their 20-yard line. (However, touchbacks during non-offensive special teams plays, such as punts and kickoffs, are quite common.)

• 球队未能获得第一次进攻（即在四次进攻中，未能在最后一次进攻的位置前移10码）。防守一方可在最后一次进攻完结的地方开始反攻
• 进攻队达阵得分或射门得分。得分的一方将球踢给另一方，这种特殊战术称为开球。
• 进攻方将球踢给防守方。弃踢是指球员在球落地前将球丢弃并踢出的一种踢法。弃踢几乎都是在第四次进攻时进行的，这时进攻方不想冒着将球让给对方的风险，在当前场上的位置，并且觉得离对方的门柱太远，不能尝试射门。
• 防守方的球员接到进攻方的传球，称之为抄截（又译为拦截）。拦截的球员可以带球跑，直到被擒抱、被迫出界或得分。
• 进攻球员在被擒抱前丢球（即掉球），防守球员捡到球。与抄截一样，防守方拿到对方掉球可以实时反攻，直至被擒抱、出界或得分。没有接住的横向传球，或者被防守球员接住的横向传球，都被认为是失误。失误和抄截统称为失误。在大学比赛的规则中，倒地捡球的球员，即使没有被擒抱，也不能推进球。
• 进攻的一方尝试射门失败。防守一方可在上一次开球处开始进攻（在NFL，是射门处）。如果射门处是底线前二十码之内，原防守一方在二十码线开始进攻。
• 防守得到“安全分”。如果进攻方的持球人在自己的终结区被擒抱或被迫出界，或在终结区丢球出界，或进攻方在终结区犯了某些罚球，防守方就得一个安全分，价值2分。然后进攻方必须从自己的20码线把球踢给防守方。
• 进攻型持球者将球向前带入底线，然后球出界。这种罕见的情况会导致触地得分，球会在对方20码线上越过对方。(然而，在非进攻性的特殊队伍的比赛中，如点球和开球，触地得分是很常见的。)

A team scores points by the following plays:

球队通过以下几项得分:

• A touchdown is worth six points. It is scored when a player runs the ball into or catches a pass in his opponent's end zone.
• A conversion. After a touchdown, the ball is placed at the other team's three-yard line (the two-yard line in the NFL). The team can attempt to kick it over the crossbar and through the goalposts in the manner of a field goal for one point (an extra point or point after touchdown (PAT)), or it may run or pass the ball into the end zone in the manner of a touchdown for two points (a two-point conversion).
• A field goal (FG) is worth three points. It is scored by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goalposts. Field goals may be placekicked (kicked when the ball is held vertically against the ground by a teammate) or drop-kicked (extremely uncommon in the modern game). A field goal is usually attempted on fourth down instead of a punt when the ball is close to the opponent's goal line, or when there is little or no time left to otherwise score.
• A safety, worth two points, is scored by the defense when a ball-carrier is tackled in his own end zone, etc., as explained above.

• 达阵得6分。当一名球员将球跑进对方的端区或接住对方的传球时，即可得分。
• 一个转换。达阵后，球被放置在对方的三码线上（NFL的两码线）。球队可以尝试用射门的方式将球踢过横梁，穿过门柱，获得1分（加分或触地后得分），也可以用触地的方式将球跑进或传进底线，获得2分（两分转换）。
• 射门（简写为FG）得分得3分。它的得分方法是将球踢过横梁并穿过门柱。射门得分可以是定位球（当球被队友垂直贴地时踢出）或落踢（在现代比赛中极不常见）。当球接近对方球门线时，或当剩下的时间不多或没有时间得分时，通常会在第四次进攻中尝试射门而不是弃踢。
• 安全球，得2分，得分可由诸如当持球人在自己的端区被擒时、由防守方得分等等。

Each half begins with a kickoff. Teams also kick off after scoring touchdowns and field goals. The ball is kicked using a kicking tee from the team's own 30-yard line in the NFL and college football (as of the 2007 season). The other team's kick returner tries to catch the ball and advance it as far as possible. Where he is stopped is the point where the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays. If the kick returner catches the ball in his own end zone, he can either run with the ball, or elect for a touchback by kneeling in the end zone, in which case the receiving team then starts its offensive drive from its own 20-yard line. A touchback also occurs when the kick goes out-of-bounds in the end zone. A kickoff that goes out-of-bounds anywhere other than the end zone before being touched by the receiving team results in a penalty. Unlike with punts, once a kickoff goes 10 yards, it can be recovered by the kicking team. A team, especially one who is losing, can try to take advantage of this by attempting an Onside kick. Punts and turnovers in the end zone can also end in a touchback.

每半场以开球开始。球队也会在达阵得分和射门得分后开球。在美国橄榄球联盟和大学橄榄球中，球是从球队自己的30码线上用踢球板踢出的（从2007赛季开始）。另一队的踢球回传者试图接住球并尽可能地推进。他被拦截的地方就是进攻方开始进攻的地点，或一系列的进攻战术。如果回踢队员在自己的端区接球，他可以选择带球跑，或者选择在端区跪下来选择达阵，在这种情况下，接球队从自己的20码线开始进攻。当踢球在终点区出界时，也会发生达阵。开球在被接球队碰触前，在终点区以外的任何地方出界都会被判罚。与点球不同，一旦开球跑出10码，就可以由踢球队追回。一支球队，特别是输球的球队，可以尝试用短踢来取得优势。踢球和在终点区的失误也可以以触地得分结束。

After safeties, the team that gave up the two points puts the ball into play with a punt or placekick from its own 20-yard line.