NFL for football fans

So, you've decided to watch the NFL.

Here's everything you need to know to understand the game — no jargon, no assumptions, no diagrams that look like homework.

Explain the Game →

Start from zero

The absolute basics

No diagrams, no jargon. If you understand these four sentences, you already understand American football — everything after this is just detail.

01

One ball. Two teams. 100 yards.

Two teams take turns attacking each other's end of the pitch. Get the ball into your opponents' end zone — by running with it or throwing it — and you score a touchdown. That's the whole idea.

02

Four attempts to go 10 yards.

Here's the twist that makes it a different sport. You don't just keep the ball: you get four attempts to move it at least 10 yards. Make the 10 and you get four fresh attempts, all the way up the pitch.

03

Fail, and you hand it over.

Use up your four attempts without making the 10 yards and the other team takes the ball where you stopped. So teams usually kick it away on their last attempt, rather than gamble. You'll see this constantly.

04

Most points after four quarters wins.

Four quarters of 15 minutes each, with the clock stopping all the time. Touchdowns are worth six, kicks are worth one or three, and the biggest score at the end takes it. No draws in the end — somebody always wins.

That's genuinely it. Someone tries to get the ball down the pitch in ten-yard chunks, and the other lot try to stop them. Now you're ready for the bits that confuse everyone — downs, the line of scrimmage, the scoreboard — explained properly below.

Now the detail →

Now the detail

Explain the game, properly

You've got the basics. Here are the eight ideas that trip everyone up — downs, the line of scrimmage, the scoreboard. Tap a card to open it.

Your progress1/8

Two teams, one ball, one pitch. You move the ball towards the opposition's end of the field and try to carry or catch it into their end zone.

The catch: you have to keep earning the right to continue. Every time you get the ball, you must move it at least 10 yards, or you hand it over.

Most points at the final whistle wins. That part, at least, is familiar.

Exhibit two

What am I actually looking at?

A mock television broadcast, stripped of the shouting. Tap anything on screen and we'll tell you exactly what it's for.

End zoneEnd zone
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2020
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LiveMock broadcast graphic
HomeHAR 17
AwayRIV 14

Tap any box to find out what it actually means.

Exhibit three

Meet the players

Eleven attackers, eleven defenders, and one bloke who only kicks. Tap a position to find out what they're for.

Attacking side Defending side

Offence

Quarterback

Receives the ball at the start of nearly every play, then decides in about three seconds whether to throw it, hand it off or run. He lines his team up, reads the defence's response, and sometimes changes the play on the fly.

Why they matter: The most important player in the sport by a distance. His formation — three wides, two tight ends, empty backfield — is the opening move in a chess game against the defence.

In football terms: Imagine Kevin De Bruyne, except he gets the ball at the start of every single attack and nobody else is allowed to start one.

Exhibit four

What just happened?

The nine moments that make up most of a broadcast, decoded. Tap any card while the shouting continues.

The bigger picture

How the whole thing works

You know the rules — now the format. Conferences, the season, the playoffs, and the one game that shuts down an entire country.

01

The league

The NFL is 32 teams, split into two conferences: the NFC and the AFC. That's it. There's no promotion or relegation — the same 32 teams every year, however hopeless some of them are.

Each conference is split into four divisions of four (North, South, East, West). Your divisional rivals are the ones you play twice a season and learn to despise properly.

02

The season

Each team plays 17 regular-season games from September to January. Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs.

The playoffs are straight knockout — win or go home — through the Wild Card round, Divisional round, and Conference Championships. The NFC champion and AFC champion then meet in the final.

03

The Super Bowl

The final is the Super Bowl, in early February. It's effectively an American bank holiday: over 100 million people watch it every year.

There's a half-time show by one of the biggest musicians on Earth, the adverts are famous in their own right, and the trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Winning it makes you immortal; losing it is genuinely haunting.

04

Where the players come from

There's no academy system. Players come through American universities — college football — which is itself a massive sport filling 100,000-seat stadiums.

Each spring, teams pick the best college players in the Draft. The worst team picks first, which is the league's way of keeping things competitive. Getting the first pick and wasting it is a great American tradition.

The payoff

You know the game. Now who should you support?

Tell us who you watch on a Saturday and we'll hand you an NFL team that'll feel unnervingly familiar. All 92 English league clubs, each with its own answer.

Premier League

Championship

League One

League Two

Keep watching

Where to actually watch the NFL

You've got the rules, you've got a team. Here's where to feed the habit — channels, documentaries and where to watch live in the UK.

YouTube

  • NFL →

    Highlights of every game, usually up within hours. The gateway drug.

  • Secret Base →

    Beautifully made deep dives into the sport's weirdest stories. Start with any 'Dorktown' video.

  • NFL Films →

    Slow-motion, orchestral music, men in the cold. This is why Americans get emotional about it.

Documentaries & shows

  • Hard Knocks →

    A documentary series following one team's pre-season. The best way to learn what a franchise actually feels like.

  • Quarterback →

    Netflix follows three QBs for a season. You'll understand the position, and the pressure, in one episode.

  • The Ringer NFL Show →

    A podcast that treats the league like the soap opera it is. Good company for your commute.

Watching in the UK

  • Sky Sports NFL →

    Live games every Sunday, plus the London games each autumn if you fancy going in person.

  • DAZN NFL Game Pass →

    Every game, live and on demand. The completist option once you're properly hooked.