NFL Goal Line Rules

It's fourth down in the last minute of a hypothetical Super Bowl game between the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are ahead by three, but the Lions have the ball at the Browns' 2-yard line. The quarterback hands off to the fullback, who jumps. The winner of the game, and the team to bring home their first Super Bowl ring, may come down to the NFL rules governing the goal line.

  1. The Goal Area

    • According to the official National Football League (NFL) rules, the goal line is in the end zone, which is 30 feet deep. The end zone begins at the 0 yard line. The whole field is rimmed by a line 6 feet wide, and the playing field begins at the inside edge of this line. Hence, if any part of a players body touches this line while in possession of the ball, the player is out of bounds. This rule also applies in the end zone.

    Goal Posts

    • The goal posts must rest on a single pole, be offset from the end line and be painted bright gold. The posts must be 18 feet, 6 inches apart and extend 30 feet above the crossbar, whose top edge must be 10 feet above the ground. There must be a ribbon 4 inches by 42 inches attached to the top of each post. The goal area extends between the outer edges of the posts and indefinitely up from the crossbars.

    Touchdown

    • According to the NFL rules governing the goal line, a team scores a six-point touchdown when the ball is on, above or over the goal line. In another section of the rulebook, a touchdown is defined as being when the ball breaks the plane of the opponent's goal area while a player is in legal possession. The player is in possession when he controls the ball while any part of his body, other than his hands, is in contact with the ground inbounds. These rules suggest that a player flying over the goal line with the ball does not score until he hits the ground, provided his hands don't hit first.

    Other Ways to Score

    • There are three alternative ways to score. A team scores a three-point field goal by kicking the ball from the line of scrimmage through the legal plane of the goal posts. After each touchdown, the scoring team has one scrimmage play to make a try. The team scores one point by kicking the ball through the goal posts or two points by rushing or passing the ball over the goal line. A team scores a two-point safety if the ball is downed in the opponents' goal area while the opponents are in possession. The ball must be there under the impetus of the opponents.