The NFL playoffs are just around the corner. And the Super Bowl is not far away either. BILD explains the most important rules and terms relating to the NFL.
On February 13th, the world’s largest individual sporting event will take place for the 56th time. The Super Bowl. The two best teams of the NFL season will compete against each other at SoFi Stadium in California. BILD summarizes for you the rules and terms that you should definitely know.
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The NFL – a league of its own
Let’s start from scratch. What is the NFL anyway? The National Football League is the American professional league for American football. It was founded in 1920 and has consisted of 32 teams since 2002. The NFL teams are divided into two “sub-leagues”. The AFC and the NFC. Both leagues are each divided into four divisions. North, East, South and West. Each division in turn has four teams.
| Conference | Division | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | North | Cincinnati Bengals Baltimore Ravens Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers |
| AFC | East | New England Patriots Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New York Jets |
| AFC | South | Tennesse Titans Indianapolis Colts Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars |
| AFC | West | Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Las Vegas Raiders Denver Broncos |
| NFC | North | Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Chicago Bears Detroit Lions |
| NFC | East | Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles Washington Football Team New York Giants |
| NFC | South | Tampa Bay Buccaneers New Orleans Saints Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers |
| NFC | West | Los Angeles Rams Arizona Cardinals San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks |
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Here you can see the teams that have already qualified for the NFL playoffs
The playing field
American football is played on (artificial) grass pitches. The field is 120 yards (approximately 109 meters) long and 53 yards (approximately 48 meters) wide. There is a 10-yard deep end zone at each end of the field. There is a 100-yard playing field between the two end zones. This playing area is divided into 10 yard increments. Behind each end zone there is a large, tuning fork-like gate. The field goal.
Photo: Kyusung Gong/AP-“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/das-sofi-stadium-in-kalifornia-e230c196f29f4efab4ff52a21dbacc7f-78750710/Bild/3.bild.jpg “/>
The SoFi Stadium in CaliforniaPhoto: Kyusung Gong/AP
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Lawn chess or slaughter?
American football is the epitome of a contact sport. Football is often about hitting the other person before you get hit. At the same time, the game has a tactical finesse that is reminiscent of chess. BILD explains the basics of this versatile sport to you.
In the NFL, four quarters, also known as quarters, are played. Each quarter is 15 minutes long. The players on a team are divided into offensive and defensive. During the game, 11 offensive players from one team and 11 defensive players from the other face each other on the field. The aim of the offensive is to pass the ball into the opponent’s end zone or to run it there. If they succeed, they score a touchdown. Since it is unlikely that a team will throw the ball across the entire field with just one attempt, several plays are available for the offensive. The offense always has four attempts (“downs”) to bridge 10 yards of the field or more. If it does not succeed, the right to attack is relinquished and the opposing defense becomes the offensive.
The defense always tries to prevent the touchdown. In the best case scenario, it achieves this through a turnover. If the defense has not allowed a new first down over three moves, the offensive faces a difficult decision. The offense must achieve a new first down. If this does not succeed, they have to pass the ball to the opponent where they are. To prevent this, a team can shoot the ball away on 4th down. With this so-called “punt” they give up the ball, but the opponent gets a worse starting position for their own attack. If the team is close enough to the opposing end zone, the team can also try to achieve a field goal three points.
This is how a team scores
Just like in football, the team that has scored the most successfully wins in the end. But instead of goals, touchdowns are the main goal in American football.
► Touchdown: Get six points. The ball is carried into the opponent’s end zone through a run or pass.
► Extra Point: After a touchdown there is the possibility of getting another point with a kick between two goal posts.
► Two-Point-Conversion: After their own touchdown, the team can choose the two-point conversion instead of an extra point. Instead of kicking the ball, the offensive player gets a play from the 2-yard line. If she runs or passes the ball successfully into the end zone, there are two additional points instead of the one extra point.
► Field Goal: Get three points. Instead of getting a new first down after three unsuccessful attempts, the ball can be kicked through the bars from a certain distance. An alternative to a touchdown attempt if your own offensive does not make it into the opposing end zone.
► Safety: If an offensive player is brought to the ground in his own end zone, the defense gets two points and possession. Safetys have become very rare in the NFL due to the strong offensive development.
The positions of the NFL superstars
Every NFL team is made up of three parts. The offense, the defense and the special team. The players from their own offensive are often the team’s superstars. They earn the cash and score the points by pushing the ball across the field into the end zone. There are always 11 offensive players and 11 opposing defenders facing each other on the field. The offensive professionals are not used on their own defensive and vice versa. BILD shows you the most important positions in football:
Die Offensive:
► Quarterback: He’s the playmaker. He announces the moves, distributes the balls and is the star of the team. As the head of the offensive, the quarterback must direct the offensive.
► Running Back: If a running play is announced, he is the protagonist. He gets the ball from the quarterback and tries to refuel through the defensive of the opponent.
► Wide Receiver: In this position you have to be particularly good at two things: run fast and catch well. The wide receiver receives – depending on the move – short or long passes from the quarterback.
Die Defensive:
► Cornerbacks: Your main task is to obstruct the opposing receivers. They cover the opposing players and, in the best case scenario, try to grab the egg yourself – to achieve an interception.
► Defensive End/Outside Linebacker: These two positions form the “pass rush”. You’re supposed to put pressure on the quarterback. This is intended to force him to make quick (and therefore imprecise) passports. If a pass rusher brings the opposing quarterback to the ground, this is called a “sack”.
The most important terms
For most Germans, American football is a confusing sport in which English words are thrown around you all the time. So that this changes for you, BILD informs you about the most important terms relating to the NFL.
► Head Coach: The head coach is the head coach of a team. He leads the training and organization of a football team
► Coordinator: The offensive coordinator coordinates the formation, tactics and personnel of his offensive before a move. The defense coordinator does the same for defense. The third coordinator is the special teams coordinator. He takes care of all moves of the special team.
► Kickoff: At the start of a half and after points have been scored, the team shoots the ball across the field towards the opponent’s offensive.
► Snap: An offensive play begins with the center handing over the ball to the quarterback. This is called a “snap”.
► First Down: A series of attacks is divided into a series of first downs. That’s 10 yards that you have to cover in less than four attempts. If you can do that, there is a new first down. If not, the opponent gets the ball.
► 4th Down: Each team has four attempts to achieve a new first down. The last and often decisive attempt is called “4th Down”.
► Fumble: If the offensive loses while trying to run or throw the ball, it is called a “fumble”. If the opponent gets the ball in his hands in this situation, a change of possession takes place.
► Interception: When the defense intercepts a thrown ball from the opposing quarterback. An interception also changes possession.
► Turnover: The defensive gets the ball through a fumble or an interception.
► Sack: When the defense brings the opposing quarterback down, it’s called a sack. A sack means a loss of space for the offensive.
► Timeout: The coaches of both teams can stop the music box at any time with a timeout. Each team has three timeouts per half.
► Two-Minute-Warning: Two minutes before the end of a half the clock is stopped and the teams can take a short breath.
► Ref: The refs are the referees of a game. There are always seven referees on the field in an NFL game.
► Flag: Signal from the referee. They throw their yellow cloths on the ground to signal that they have seen foul or unsportsmanlike conduct on the field. The head coaches of the two teams can also throw flags. However, these are red. The coaches throw them if they ask for TV proof of a game scene. You can do this twice per game. If you are wrong, you will lose time out.
Now, if you feel ready to watch an NFL game, you can put your knowledge to the test over the weekend.
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