Questions tagged [american-football]
Questions about the sport of American football. This should not be confused with the [football] tag, which only applies to the sport called "soccer" in most of North America.
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Compensation for an NFL draftee not signing?
What happens to the team when an NFL draftee doesn't sign with a team?
Do they get some sort of compensation for the lost pick?
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With the NFL moving the extra point back, is it still possible to fake the kick and go for two?
Under older NFL rules, it was legal, even if unusual, to line up for an extra point kick but make a try for the endzone to score two points.
The linked question and answer are from before a ...
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Does anyone know the name of the player who wore a customized face mask which looked like it was beaded?
What is the name of a defensive player in the NFL that wore a customized face mask that looked beaded?
The mask is yellow or gold, and black? I thought he was on the Bengals. He was a mostly known for ...
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NFL rules question (completed pass)
If I catch a pass while jumping next to my sideline and land with one foot in and then step out of bounds, in the NFL, that's not a complete pass.
But what if I catch it on the one foot and then hop a ...
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What happens if three defenders sack together?
I learned that if two players sack cooperatively, each defender gets 0.5 sacks in their statistics.
Then what happens if three players make a sack together?
Is it 0.333 sacks, or still 0.5 sacks?
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Where can I find data of NFL players and clubs?
I am going to take Spanish soccer league players and clubs data from a business API.
The purpose is to generate a quiz app with questions as "Which player has scored more goals this season?" ...
user24863
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Defensive touchdowns in two playoff games in a row
Baltimore ravens allowed a defensive touchdown in two play-off games in a row.
One in Jan 15th, 2023 and the other in Jan 16th, 2021
I wonder if there is another example of such a thing: allowing ...
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Is the NFL's Mechanics Manual publically available?
The National Football League (NFL) publishes their Rulebook online and updates it each year. This defines all aspects of gameplay, penalties, and numerous other topics.
One topic I have been ...
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Delay of game to get a better field-goal angle
I recall reading a story in the 1980s — but I don't recall when it was supposed to have happened — about an American-football game. (I think it was a college game.) A team thought it most ...
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How is the field goal distance calculated in American football?
I wonder how the position is calculated in American football:
The position that the snapper snaps
The position in that the holder fixes the ball and the kicker kicks.
For example, in the record ...
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Can a team run a no huddle two-point conversion straight after a touchdown?
In the Bengals-Ravens playoff game on 2023-01-15, I saw Joe Burrow excitedly motioning after a TD, as though he was seeking to immediately line up for a two point conversion to try and catch the ...
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Why did the Buffalo Bills score a touchdown without ball breaking the plane of the goal line?
On January 8 2023, the Buffalo Bills scored a touchdown on kickoff return. Nyheim Hines returned the ball, then ran very near the sideline. Shortly before reaching the end zone, he spread his arms so ...
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How much of a football game can be played to determine an official result?
What happens to an NFL game that is started and suspended? talks about handling suspended games.
Is there a period of time that needs to be played to bring upon an official result? 9:02 of 60:00 of in-...
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What happens to an NFL game that is started and suspended?
On January 2, 2023, the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals was stopped in the first quarter after the Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed due to a cardiac event after a tackle. The ...
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What is the exact condition of touchdown in American football?
I wonder how the 'touchdown' is defined in American football.
Specifically, I would like to know whether the ball should complete go through the end line which is 6 feet wide.
In soccer, the ball ...
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Rushing Yards Gained on an Offensive Fumble Recovery
I am trying to understand how many yards a running back gained on a play in which he fumbled. Here is the situation: Derrick Henry rushes the ball for 5-yards but fumbles the ball which is recovered ...
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Picking up one's own punted ball in American football [duplicate]
I saw this situation in the NFL game between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks on December 15th, 2022 in which it happened in the 4th quarter at 13:19.
https://www.nfl.com/games/49ers-...
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When was the last matchup between ranked MAC football teams?
I'm a Toldeo / Mid-American Conference fan, and just interested in what was the last match up (before December 2022) between two ranked MAC teams?
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Is the ball live or dead when it bounces off a downed player's helmet?
In college football, is the ball considered live or dead if it hasn’t hit the ground but bounces off the helmet of a downed player?
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How are the bowls matched to the seeds for semi finals in college playoff?
I know that there is a rotation of bowl games that are used for the college football playoff. But once the three are selected for semis and final, how is it determined which of the semi final ...
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What does "completed x-for-y passes" mean?
What does it mean to say that a quarterback completed x-for-y passes? That is different than the average yards per rush or yards per completion, right?
Background:
One article states "During the ...
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NFL head coach with no previous NFL, CFL or college coaching experience?
The Indianapolis Colts just announced that Jeff Saturday will be their interim head coach. Saturday's only coaching experience is with a high school team. In the Super Bowl era (since 1967) has there ...
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Who are on the field in a field goal or PAT situation in American football?
In American football, a long snapper, a holder, and a kicker are required in a field goal or one-point conversion situation.
Who are the other eight players on the field in these situations? If most ...
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What is the greatest number of field goals in an NFL game without any other scoring?
On 2022-10-06, the Colts defeated the Broncos 12-9 with all the scoring being via 7 field goals. Is this the greatest number of field goals in an NFL game without there being any other form of scoring?...
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How are NFL standings calculated mid-season
I was very surprised to see today on nfl.com/standings/ that Dolphins are ranked before the Bills in AFC East, despite:
Both teams being 2-0-0
Bills having +55 Net Pts vs. Dolphins +17
They have not ...
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Can a defender legally carry a receiver out of bounds?
If a receiver makes a jumping sideline catch, I take it, it's legal for a defender to push him out of bounds, once the catch is made.
What if the defender catches the receiver before he got both feet ...
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Why don't teams snap the ball back further than 7 yards on close-range field goal attempts?
If a team attempts a field goal from close range (ball placed inside 20), the setup seems to be the same as from far range, i.e. with the holder being located 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
I ...
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Are NFL season tickets valid on Panini trading cards?
I am not from the US and I got some NFL trading cards by Panini from the set "contenders football 2021".
I think the season ticket on it is just fake.
But because there is a seat number I am ...
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Can you kick a fumbled football?
In football, if the ball is fumbled and can an opposing team member kick the ball on the ground forwards before diving on it to take possession?
Follow up from the previous question: if the ball is ...
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NFL Combine Worst Performances
I am attempting to clean a data set of NFL Combine performances; because some values of the data set are physically impossible, I would like to know the best and worst performances in the combine (to ...
user23660
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Is recruiting rating a strong indicator of pro career trajectory?
I saw the following graphic:
Is there any data that correlates 5-star recruits to pro career trajectory? How accurate is the recruiting rating system among the recruiting services (eg, 247sports, ...
user23578
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How many times the Super Bowl teams have both lost to a common opponent during the regular season?
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams will be playing in Super Bowl 55. Both of these teams played the Green Bay packers in the regular season. The Packers Beat the Bengals in Week 5, and beat ...
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Highest point differential that has missed the playoffs(and vice versa)Nfl
What is the highest point differential that has missed the playoffs and what is the lowest point differential that has made the playoffs?
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NFL games where defense scored more points that the offense
How many games since the merger has the winning team scored more defensive touchdowns than offensive touchdowns? Extra points don't count for the defense or the offense.
Also list the game where the ...
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Has there ever been a game-winning/tying drive that started with less than 13 seconds?
In the January 23, 2022 NFL Divisional playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs trailed 36-33 in the 4th quarter when they started a drive at their own 25-yard line ...
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Why is there sometimes a penalty when a punted ball goes out of bounds?
Sometimes when the kicker punts the ball and it goes out of bounds, there is a penalty because ball went out of bounds and other times there is no penalty when that happens.
Can someone please explain ...
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Can a player unretire when the postseason starts who hasn’t played all season and be eligible play in the postseason
Eric Weddle unretired and is signing with the Rams for their postseason run??? I never heard or seen that in my life is it against any rules?
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What is the longest drive in the NFL with consideration for penalty yardage?
I have attempted to search for this answer before, but often end up getting answers akin to the longest distance a drive has taken between goal lines, hence the answer is something like 99 yards. ...
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Does strength of victory include teams a team has tied?
In figuring the NFL's strength of victory tie-breaker, what about teams a team has tied? In other calculations, a tie is counted as half a victory.
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Why did Joe Burrow not have a nameplate?
The photo shows #9 for the Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow) playing without a nameplate on his jersey during the Bengals game against the Chiefs on 2nd January 2022. Why is this?
user23348
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All time QB with the worst December+ INT ratio
For a long time I've been a fan of Matthew Stafford. He had suffered in Detroit for years. Detroit, in their best years would appear to have their playoff hopes get dashed in December.
It seems that ...
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NFL Team Lose on Purpose for Draft Pick
How does the NFL prevent a team on the last week of the season to losing on purpose ensuring a #1 draft pick for the following year?
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Why do ESPN and others still list the Eagles as having a chance to win the NFC East title?
As of Christmas Day 2021 with 2 games to go for each the Cowboys at 10-4 and the Eagles at 7-7 why do ESPN and others still show the Eagles with a chance to win the NFC east division title?
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What would be the effect if the 2-point conversion was changed to 3-point?
As an active follower of the NFL from outside the US, I have always found it curious that teams overwhelmingly take a 1-point field goal rather than a 2-point conversion. Some reasons are given in the ...
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How do NFL players know a fair catch has been called?
I know that a raised arm wave signals a fair catch. But I can imagine gunners and such sometimes will be in the midst of fighting through blocks or at least have someone blocking their vision for a ...
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Quarterback conduct after a game
It seems that at the end of every NFL game the two opposing QBs meet in the field, hug, and chat for a few minutes. My question is, has the league ordered or encouraged them to do this, or is it ...
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When did American football teams start honoring players who have passed away by starting 10 men on the field?
For American football games (college and professional), when did they begin honoring players who passed away by starting ten players on the field?
I haven't watched football for that long, but my ...
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Why TD when recovered on ½-yard line and "momentumed" to the end zone, in American football?
Why was it a touchdown in the Falcons vs. Cowboys game when a blocked punt was recovered ball on "½-yard line", but the momentum carried the player over to the end zone? The player was ...
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Why do five Week 15 NFL games have a start time of TBD?
As of 2021-11-20, week 15 of the 2021 NFL schedule has five games with starting times of TBD.
Why does this week have so many games this late in the season without starting times? When are the ...
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What does the B I G mean on a college American football field?
I was watching this first half shut-out between Michigan and Ohio and on the field there is B I G painted on the field. The paint is white, the B is just outlined while the I G is solid white.
What is ...
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