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About This Quiz
The fall season has swept in, and you know it's time to get out the grill, grab a few drinks, and watch some football on the weekends. Are you prepared for the new season? Are you ready to talk trash to opposing fan bases? You'd better make sure you know your football before you start with the fiery comments, so here's a quiz where you can test that football knowledge!
Football is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports in the United States. Thousands of people play it each year, and even more than that watch the games every week. If a fan tried hard enough, they could watch a football game every day of the week during the fall, and it wouldn't be time wasted. Football is a chess match after all, and it provides plenty of entertainment for viewers.ÂWhen you're ready, see if you can get a winning score on this football quiz!Â
How do you determine who gets the ball first to start a football game?
Coin toss
The first coin flip in a Super Bowl occurred on January 15, 1967. The game pitted the Green Bay Packers against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tip-off​
Home team chooses
Away team chooses
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What is the area where a player scores called?
Score zone
Scoring square
End zone
Throwing the football, Peyton Manning helped a slew of receivers reach the end zone 539 times while in the NFL. His final two touchdown passes came against the New England Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship.
Goal zone
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What line divides the end zone from the field of play?
Field line
Goal line
No player crossed the goal line more during his career than Jerry Rice. Rice, a star receiver primarily for the 49ers, scored 208 touchdowns over the course of his career.
Red line
Score line
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Once it's decided who gets the ball first, how does a football game start?
Jump-off
Runoff​
Pre-snap
Kickoff
Due to the NFL's history with brain trauma, kickoffs have been scrutinized in recent years because of the violent blows that often occur during the play. The NFL has stuck to tradition, however, despite the calls to end kickoffs altogether.
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What happens if the ball goes out of the end zone on a kickoff?
Out of bounds
Re-kick
Safety
Touchback
The longest possible kickoff return in a football game is 109 yards. As a rookie, Cordarrell Patterson carried one back 109 yards for the Vikings in 2013.
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What is it called when a linebacker rushes the quarterback?
A stunt
A stint
A blitz
cx revolutionized the linebacker position in the '80s with his ability to blitz the quarterback. Opposing teams feared Taylor because they never knew where he was coming from.
A robber
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How long is a football field, not including the end zones?
80 yards
100 yards
The first 99-yard play was thrown by Frank Filchock in 1939. Andy Farkas was on the receiving end of the pass, which he carried for 90 of the 99 yards.
120 yards
150 yards
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Which player snaps the football to begin a play?
Center
The center is typically viewed as the vocal leader of the offensive line. Aside from the quarterback, the center is often responsible for calling out defensive lineups.
Guard
Tackle
Tight end
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How many players are allowed on one side of the ball?
Eight
10
11
The '85 Bears are often believed to have had the greatest 11 players to ever line up on the defensive side of the ball. That defense was led by stars like Mike Singletary, William Perry, and Dave Duerson.
12
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What line separates the offense from the defense before a play?
Line of scrimmage
Some defenses will crowd the line of scrimmage and force an offense to beat them deep. This aggressive style of play usually results in a big play for either the defense or the offense.
Line of play
Start line
Field line
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Which number can a quarterback NOT wear?
2
10
19
55
Football numbers were limited to certain players because referees had a hard time determining which offensive players were eligible to run routes. Typically, quarterbacks choose numbers 19 or below.
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How many points is a touchdown worth?
3
6
Randy Moss caught an NFL record 23 touchdown passes while playing with the Patriots in the 2007 season. That year, the Patriots went undefeated during the regular season before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl.
7
10
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A first down without any penalties is how long?
5 yards
10 yards
The Wing-T Offense is a style of play that typically picks up a few yards at a time while keeping the chains moving. This style of offense doesn't usually result in big plays, but it can demoralize a defense when first downs are consistently gained.
12 yards
15 yards
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The ball must be snapped before what runs out?
Time clock
Running clock
Buzzer
Play clock
Some offenses try to use as little of the play clock as possible by going no-huddle throughout the game. The Bills made this style of play popular in the NFL in the late '80s and early '90s.
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How many downs does an offense get to gain a first down?
Two
Three
Four
Tom Brady has mastered the art of the short pass, which usually results in a first down every few plays. He has found great success with targets like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman.
Five
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What can an offense do on fourth down to change field position?
Punt
In 1969, Steve O'Neal kicked the longest punt in NFL history. The ball went 98 yards from one side's 1-yard line to the 1-yard line on the opposing side.
Turn the ball over
Call a timeout
Take a safety
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How many offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage?
Four
Six
Seven
When three receivers line up on one side of the field, it is known as a trips formation. When there isn't a running back in the backfield, it's known as an empty set.
Nine
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What's it called when the quarterback lines up a few yards behind the center?
I formation
Shotgun formation
The shotgun formation has taken over college football. Some quarterbacks are so used to taking the snap from the shotgun formation that they struggle when they are put under center, which is a major concern when they get to the pros.
Ace formation
Unbalanced formation
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A running back who drops the ball on the ground during a play does what?
Fumbles
No player has fumbled more than five times in a single NFL game. Matthew Stafford was the last player to drop the ball on the ground five times in the same game. He did it in 2013 while playing for the Lions.
Slips
Botches
Errors
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What happens immediately after a touchdown is scored?
Kickoff
Turnover
Change of field
Extra point
To make the extra point more important, the NFL moved the spot back to the 15-yard line in 2015. The move has resulted in significantly more misses since then.
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What do you call a pass to a receiver who has blockers in front of him?
Slant pass
Swing pass
Curl pass
Screen pass
When it comes to receiving, David Johnson has proven himself to be a valuable asset out of the backfield for the Arizona Cardinals. In only his fourth season in the NFL, Johnson already has more than 1,700 receiving yards.
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How many points is a field goal worth?
3
In 2013, Matt Prater kicked an NFL record 64-yard field goal. Prior to the new record, a 63-yard field goal was the longest in NFL history.
4
5
6
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How long is an NFL quarter?
10 minutes
12 minutes
15 minutes
The NFL uses a two-minute warning before the end of each half, which prompts the stopping of the clock. In college football, there is no two-minute warning.
18 minutes
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What's it called when only safeties cover the deep part of the field?
Cover blue
Cover 2
The Tampa 2 defense is a widely used variation of the Cover 2. It was popularized by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late '90s and early '00s.
Cover heavy
Cover light
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What stat does a defender get when he tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage?
Safety
Cover
Sack
Michael Strahan had one of the greatest individual seasons as a defensive end for the New York Giants in 2001. That year, he set an NFL single-season record when he racked up 22.5 sacks.
Rip
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What happens if an offensive lineman moves before the ball is snapped?
Delay of game
False start
CenturyLink Field is home to the Seattle Seahawks. The stadium is known as "The Home of the 12th Man" because of the crowd noise level which often results in offensive penalties for the opposing team.
Jumping
Entering the neutral zone
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How many linebackers are in a traditional 3-4 defense?
One
Two
Three
Four
One of the most important members of a 3-4 defense is the defensive tackle. Defensive tackles are responsible for stuffing the middle by taking on multiple blockers to free zones for other players.
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What's it called when the defense catches a pass intended for a receiver?
Interception
In the NFL, no player has grabbed more than four interceptions in a single game. The most recent occurrence was in 2010 when the Redskins' DeAngelo Hall intercepted four passes from Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
Reception
Take away
Steal
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In the NFL, where is the ball spotted​ after a touchback?
20-yard line
25-yard line
In 2011, the NFL moved the touchback spot from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line. The league made the move to discourage return men from taking the ball out of the end zone.
30-yard line
50-yard line
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What happens if a quarterback is tackled into his own end zone?
Loss of down
Defensive touchdown
Touchback
Safety
The Denver Broncos took a safety on the first play from scrimmage in Super Bowl 50. The safety came after the center snapped the ball over Peyton Manning's head and into the end zone.
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How many yards does a holding penalty cost an offense?
5 yards
8 yards
10 yards
Penalties hold a team back in a game and can often result in a loss. However, that wasn't the case in 1999 when the Titans managed to beat the Ravens despite being penalized 15 times for a total of 212 yards.
15 yards
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What is a run play where the quarterback has the option to either hand it off or run it himself?
Zone read
Robert Griffin III was drafted out of Baylor by the Washington Redskins in 2012. In his first year, he was primarily used as a zone read quarterback, but injuries caught up to him, forcing Griffin to change his style.
Dive
Sweep
Power
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Which defensive position is primarily responsible for covering receivers?
Defensive end
Outside linebacker​
Inside linebacker
Cornerback
Deion Sanders was one of the greatest cornerbacks in the history of the league. An athletic anomaly, Sanders also played baseball where he appeared in a World Series. He's the only person to ever play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
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What penalty is called if the play clock runs out before the ball is snapped?
Delay of game
The play clock is a valuable asset to a quarterback. Peyton Manning would use the time to move players around and change the play call according to what the defense was doing.
False start
Late call
Unsportsmanlike​ conduct
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Where does the red zone start on a football field?
10-yard line
15-yard line
20-yard line
In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars had the highest scoring percentage in the red zone out of any team in the NFL. They finished the season scoring nearly 69 percent of the time in the red zone.
25-yard line
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You Got:
/35
