American Football Scoring: Every Way to Score
American football has five distinct ways to put points on the board, and their values are what make comebacks mathematically possible — or not.
Point values
| Score | Points |
|---|---|
| Touchdown | 6 |
| Extra point (kick) | 1 |
| Two-point conversion | 2 |
| Field goal | 3 |
| Safety | 2 |
Why 7 and 3 shape the game
A touchdown plus the kick is 7; a field goal is 3. Almost every late-game decision comes down to whether the deficit is a one-score gap — 8 or fewer — and coaches manage the clock around exactly that threshold.
The safety
The rarest score: the defence tackles a ball carrier in his own end zone. It is worth 2 points and, unusually, the scoring team also receives the ball afterwards — the only score in the sport that awards both points and possession.
Frequently asked questions
To reach a specific margin. Down 14 with two touchdowns to come, converting the first two-pointer means the second touchdown plus a kick wins rather than ties.
Four quarters of 15 minutes of game clock, but the clock stops constantly, so real time runs to about three hours.