A touchdown is the main way to score points in American football. It is worth six points and is usually scored when a player carries the football across the opponent’s goal line or catches a legal pass in the opponent’s end zone.
If you are learning what is a touchdown in football, the basic idea is the same in the NFL and college football. However, some important details are different, especially the rules for completing a catch and what happens after a touchdown.
A touchdown can also be scored by the defense after gaining possession through an interception or fumble recovery. Regardless of whether the offense or defense scores it, a touchdown is worth six points.
What Is a Touchdown in Football?
A touchdown is scored when a team legally gets the football into the opponent’s end zone in a way that satisfies the rules.
The end zone is the scoring area at each end of the field. The goal line separates the field of play from the end zone.
A touchdown can be scored when a player:
- Runs the football across the opponent’s goal line.
- Completes a legal catch in the opponent’s end zone.
- Catches the ball in the field of play and runs into the end zone.
- Intercepts a pass and returns it to the opponent’s end zone.
- Recovers a fumble and advances it into the opponent’s end zone when the rules allow.
The NFL and NCAA both award six points for a touchdown. NFL Football Operations
How Many Points Is a Touchdown Worth?
A touchdown is worth six points in both the NFL and college football.
The scoring team then normally receives an opportunity to score additional points on a try.
That can produce a familiar seven-point scoring sequence: six points for the touchdown followed by one point for a successful kick.
A team may also attempt to score two additional points instead.
The rules governing where those attempts begin are different in the NFL and college football, which we will separate below.
How Does Crossing the Goal Line Score a Touchdown?
One of the most common touchdowns occurs when a runner carries the football across the opponent’s goal line.
The entire player does not have to enter the end zone.
The entire football does not have to cross the line either.
Instead, the ball must legally reach or break the vertical plane of the goal line while the runner has possession and remains eligible to score under the applicable rules.
Think of the goal line as creating an invisible wall rising upward from the field. When the football legally reaches that plane, a touchdown can be scored.
For example, a running back may be tackled just outside the end zone while extending the ball forward. If the ball reaches the goal-line plane before the runner is down, the play can be a touchdown.
A player does not need to place the football on the ground in the end zone.
What Is a Rushing Touchdown?
A rushing touchdown occurs when a player carries the ball into the opponent’s end zone.
For example, suppose the offense has the ball at the opponent’s 4-yard line. The quarterback hands the football to a running back, who finds a gap and crosses the goal line.
That is a rushing touchdown worth six points.
Running backs score many rushing touchdowns, but quarterbacks, wide receivers and other eligible ball carriers can score them as well.
The important point is that the player reaches the end zone as a runner rather than completing a forward-pass reception there.
What Is a Receiving Touchdown?
A receiving touchdown occurs when a legal forward pass results in a completed catch in the opponent’s end zone.
A receiver can score in two basic ways.
The receiver might catch the pass directly in the end zone.
Alternatively, the receiver can catch the football in the field of play and then run across the goal line.
For example, a receiver could catch a pass at the opponent’s 20-yard line, avoid a defender and run into the end zone. The result is still a receiving touchdown.
This is one area where beginners need to know whether they are watching the NFL or college football because the requirements for establishing a legal catch inbounds are different.
NFL Touchdown Rules
The NFL follows its own rulebook for determining touchdowns, catches and post-touchdown attempts. The basic six-point value is the same as college football, but several details differ.
NFL Goal-Line Rule
For a runner, a touchdown can be scored when the ball in the runner’s possession reaches, crosses or is above the plane of the opponent’s goal line while the requirements of the play are satisfied.
This is why television replays often focus closely on the exact location of the football rather than the runner’s entire body.
A player can have most of his body outside the end zone while the football reaches across the goal line.
The NFL rulebook also recognizes situations involving the ball touching a goal-line pylon while legally possessed by a player. NFL Football Operations
NFL Catch Rule in the End Zone
An NFL receiver must complete a legal catch for a passing play to result in a touchdown.
One of the most noticeable NFL requirements is that a receiver normally must establish two feet inbounds, or satisfy the rule using another qualifying body part, while maintaining control and completing the catch requirements.
For example, imagine a receiver catches the football near the sideline in the end zone.
If he gets both feet down inbounds while completing the catch, the play can be a touchdown.
If he gets only one foot down before the other lands out of bounds, the pass is normally incomplete.
This two-feet requirement is an important difference between NFL and college football.
When an NFL Runner Is Down
Another difference can matter near the goal line.
In the NFL, simply having a knee or another body part touch the ground does not always end a runner’s advance. A runner is generally down when the applicable NFL down-by-contact or other dead-ball rules are satisfied.
That means you may see an NFL runner stumble, touch the ground and continue moving if no rule has yet made the ball dead.
Near the goal line, officials determine whether the ball reached the end zone before the runner was legally down.
NFL Rule After a Touchdown
After an NFL touchdown, the scoring team gets a try.
For a standard one-point kick, the ball is put in play from the 15-yard line.
For a two-point conversion by run or pass, the ball is normally put in play from the 2-yard line. NFL Football Operations
A successful kick is worth one point.
A successful run or pass that produces the equivalent of a touchdown on the try is worth two points.
Therefore:
- Touchdown + successful extra-point kick = 7 points.
- Touchdown + successful two-point conversion = 8 points.
College Football Touchdown Rules
College football played under NCAA rules uses the same basic touchdown concept and awards six points, but several rules differ from the NFL.
The NCAA maintains its own football playing rules rather than simply using the NFL rulebook. NCAA.org
College Goal-Line Rule
As in the NFL, the position of the football is crucial when a runner approaches the opponent’s goal line.
A runner does not need to get his entire body into the end zone. If the ball legally reaches the goal-line plane while the runner is still live and in possession, the play can result in a touchdown.
So the basic idea beginners see on a goal-line run is very similar at both levels.
The key difference may be when the runner becomes down.
College Runners Are Down Without Defensive Contact
In college football, a runner does not generally need to be touched by a defender to be ruled down.
If a ball carrier’s knee or another qualifying body part touches the ground, the play can end even if no defender caused it.
This matters around the goal line.
Suppose a college running back slips without being touched. His knee reaches the ground at the 1-yard line, and only afterward does he extend the football across the goal line.
The ball was already dead when his knee went down, so there is no touchdown.
An NFL version of a superficially similar play may have a different result depending on whether the NFL runner was legally down under its rules.
College Catch Rule in the End Zone
The biggest beginner-friendly difference involves a receiver’s feet.
Under NCAA rules, a receiver generally needs only one foot inbounds when completing a legal catch, rather than the NFL’s usual two-foot requirement.
For example, a college receiver catches a pass near the sideline in the end zone. He controls the football and gets one foot down inbounds before coming down outside the field.
If all the other catch requirements are satisfied, that can be a touchdown in college football.
The same foot placement would normally not be enough for an NFL reception.
This is one of the easiest differences to remember:
NFL: usually two feet inbounds.
College: one foot inbounds can be enough.
College Rules After a Touchdown
College football also provides a try after a touchdown.
The scoring team can attempt a kick for one point or run an offensive play for two points. The NCAA uses its own placement and try rules rather than the NFL’s separate 15-yard placement for the standard extra-point kick. The NCAA’s official football rules govern those procedures. NCAA.org
So although an NFL and college scoreboard may both change from six points to seven after a touchdown and successful kick, the rules and starting locations for the try are not identical.
NFL vs. College Touchdowns: The Main Differences
For beginners, most touchdown situations look the same in the NFL and college football.
A runner carrying the football across the goal line scores six points at either level. A legal reception in the end zone can also score six points.
The most useful differences to remember are these:
- NFL receivers normally need two feet inbounds to complete a catch.
- College receivers generally need only one foot inbounds.
- College runners can be ruled down without defensive contact, such as when a knee touches the ground.
- NFL rules for determining when a runner is down differ, which can change the outcome of a goal-line play.
- Post-touchdown try procedures differ between the NFL and NCAA.
You do not need to memorize every technical rule to understand most touchdowns. Knowing these differences will explain many calls that initially seem confusing when switching between an NFL game and a college game.
Can the Defense Score a Touchdown?
Yes.
A defensive player can score a touchdown after legally gaining possession of the football and returning it to the opponent’s end zone.
One common example is an interception.
Suppose the quarterback throws a forward pass and a defensive back catches it. The defense now has possession.
If that defender returns the interception all the way into the opponent’s end zone, the result is a touchdown worth six points.
An interception returned for a touchdown is commonly called a pick-six.
The “six” refers to the six points awarded for the touchdown.
Can a Fumble Become a Touchdown?
Yes.
A fumble occurs when a player loses possession of the football while the ball remains live.
If a player from the other team legally recovers the fumble, the recovering team may be able to advance the football, depending on the situation and applicable rules.
For example, a quarterback is hit and loses the football. A defender recovers the loose ball and runs into the opposing end zone.
That can produce a defensive touchdown.
There are special restrictions on advancing certain fumbles in particular situations, so not every loose-ball recovery can automatically be picked up and advanced in every circumstance.
For a beginner, the important idea is that a fumble can create a change of possession and potentially lead directly to a touchdown.
Touchdown vs. Field Goal
A touchdown and field goal are different scoring plays.
A touchdown is worth six points.
A field goal is worth three points.
A field goal is scored when a legal kick passes over the crossbar and between the uprights.
A touchdown involves legally getting possession of the football into the opponent’s end zone.
Because a touchdown produces six points before the following try, reaching the end zone generally gives an offense a greater scoring return than settling for a field goal.
Common Touchdown Misconceptions
New football viewers often misunderstand a few touchdown rules.
One misconception is that the entire player has to cross the goal line. That is not true. The location of the football is critical.
Another is that the entire football must pass completely across the goal line. It does not.
Some beginners also assume a player has to place the football on the ground in the end zone. American football does not require a player to “ground” the ball like a rugby try.
Another common mistake is thinking a touchdown is worth seven points. The touchdown itself is worth six. A seventh point commonly comes from the successful extra-point kick that follows.
Finally, a catch that would be a touchdown in college football may not be a touchdown in the NFL. The different inbounds requirements for receivers are particularly important near the sideline and back of the end zone.
Simple Touchdown Examples
Example 1: NFL rushing touchdown
An NFL running back carries the football toward the goal line. A defender makes contact, but before the runner is legally down, the football reaches across the goal-line plane.
Result: touchdown, six points.
Example 2: College runner falls before the goal line
A college running back slips at the 1-yard line. His knee touches the ground before the football reaches the goal line.
Result: no touchdown, even though no defender touched him.
Example 3: NFL sideline catch
An NFL receiver catches a pass in the end zone and gets both feet legally down inbounds while completing the catch.
Result: touchdown, six points.
Example 4: College sideline catch
A college receiver controls a pass in the end zone and legally gets one foot down inbounds while completing the catch.
Result: touchdown, six points.
Example 5: Interception return
A defensive player intercepts a pass and returns the football to the opponent’s end zone.
Result: defensive touchdown, six points.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Points Is a Touchdown?
A touchdown is worth six points in both the NFL and college football.
Does the Whole Football Have to Cross the Goal Line?
No. The entire football does not have to cross the goal line. The ball reaching or breaking the goal-line plane can be enough when the other requirements of the play are satisfied.
Does the Whole Player Have to Enter the End Zone?
No. A runner can score while much of his body remains outside the end zone if the football legally reaches the goal-line plane before the runner is down.
How Many Feet Does an NFL Receiver Need Inbounds?
An NFL receiver normally needs two feet inbounds, or must satisfy the rule with another qualifying body part, while completing the catch.
How Many Feet Does a College Receiver Need Inbounds?
A college receiver generally needs only one foot inbounds while completing a legal catch.
Is a College Player Down if His Knee Touches the Ground?
Generally, yes. Unlike the NFL’s down-by-contact concept, an NCAA ball carrier can be down when a knee or another qualifying body part touches the ground even without contact from a defender.
Can the Defense Score a Touchdown?
Yes. The defense can score after gaining possession through a play such as an interception or fumble recovery and returning the ball to the opponent’s end zone.
What Happens After a Touchdown?
The scoring team receives six points and then normally gets a try for either one or two additional points. The exact try procedures differ between NFL and college football.
Key Takeaways
A touchdown is worth six points and is scored when a team legally gets possession of the football into the opponent’s end zone.
Running across the goal line, completing a pass in the end zone, returning an interception and advancing certain fumble recoveries can all produce touchdowns.
The basic answer to what is a touchdown in football is similar in the NFL and college football, but the detailed rules are not identical.
The easiest difference for beginners to remember is the catch rule: NFL receivers normally need two feet inbounds, while college receivers generally need only one. College players can also be ruled down without defensive contact, which can affect close goal-line plays.
After a touchdown, both levels provide an opportunity to score additional points, although the NFL and college rules for the try use different procedures.