ENRUES
Glossary

Fumble

Terms

What it is

A fumble happens when a player who has the ball loses control of it before he is down or out of bounds. Either team can pick up the loose ball.

In a game

If the defense recovers it, it is a turnover. Ball carriers hold the ball tight against their body to avoid this.

More detail

A fumble is different from an incomplete pass: a forward pass that hits the ground is dead, but a ball that a ball carrier drops is live. Defenders try to cause fumbles by punching or ripping at the ball, called a strip. Referees review fumbles on replay to see whether the runner was down before the ball came loose.

Animated play

101020203030404050504040303020201010END ZONEEND ZONEXXXXXXFumble!Recovered by the defense: turnoverThe quarterback hands off.The runner is hit by a defender.The ball pops out and rolls loose.A defender falls on it. The other team now has the ball.

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

  1. A running back takes the handoff and runs.
  2. A defender hits him and strikes at the ball, and it comes loose. That is a fumble.
  3. Anyone can pick up a loose ball. Here a defender gets to it first.
  4. When the defense recovers a fumble, it is a turnover: the defense takes over as the new offense, from that spot. If the offense recovers its own fumble, it keeps the ball.