ENRUES
Glossary

End zone

Terms

What it is

The end zone is the ten-yard-deep area at each end of the field, between the goal line and the back line. It is where touchdowns are scored.

In a game

An offensive player scores a touchdown by carrying the ball into the end zone or catching a pass there. The defense has its own end zone to protect. If the offense is tackled in its own end zone, the defense scores a safety.

More detail

The end zone is as wide as the field. A ball that touches the back line or goes past it is out of bounds. Players try to keep both feet in bounds when they catch a pass in the end zone, which is why the corners are the hardest places to score.

Animated play

101020203030404050504040303020201010END ZONEEND ZONEEnd zone: 10 yards deepThe other end zoneXCaught inside: touchdownOver the back line: incompleteBoth ends of the field have an end zone.A pass caught inside the end zone is a touchdown.A pass that sails past the end line is out of bounds.

Blue circles are the team with the ball. X marks the other team. The yellow oval is the ball.

  1. Behind each goal line is an end zone, ten yards deep and as wide as the field.
  2. A team scores a touchdown by getting the ball into the end zone it is attacking, either by running over the goal line or by catching a pass in the end zone.
  3. The back edge is the end line. A ball that touches the end line or goes past it is out of bounds.
  4. The end zone also matters for the other team: if the offense is tackled in its own end zone, the defense scores a safety.