Learner worksheet
Name: ____ Date: ______
Audience: beginners, ages 12–18 or adults. Session: 45 minutes.
Learning objectives: Track the team with possession, record the next down and distance, calculate a penalty spot, and justify a decision using a rule locator.
Scope: Use the 2026 NFL rules for this exercise. Do not transfer these answers to another competition without checking its rules.
All scenarios are invented classroom examples. Each is independent and occurs during the first quarter. Only the stated fouls occur. Officials have already established the described catches, tackles and ball spots; you are deciding what follows.
A30 means Team A’s own 30-yard line; B30 means Team B’s own 30-yard line. Draw an arrow showing the attacking direction before calculating. Record possession, ball spot, down, distance and your reason. For Scenario 6, also explain the team’s choice.
| Number | Situation | Decision to explain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A has second-and-4 at A30. Its runner is tackled at A36, retaining possession. | What is the next situation? |
| 2 | A has fourth-and-3 at A40. Its runner is tackled at A42, retaining possession. | Who takes the next snap, and from where? |
| 3 | A has second-and-8 at A32. B legally intercepts the pass and returns it to B40, where the interceptor is tackled with the ball. | Record the next possession, spot, down and distance. |
| 4 | A has third-and-2 at A30. Officials call A for a false start before the snap. B accepts the penalty. | Record the next situation and explain whether the down number changes. |
| 5 | A has second-and-6 at A4. Officials call A for a false start before the snap. B accepts the penalty. | Calculate the enforced distance and the next situation. |
| 6 | A has fourth-and-4 at A40. A is called for offensive holding during the run. The runner is tackled at A42. B wants possession immediately and declines the penalty. | Explain the effect of declining and record the next situation. |
| Scenario | Team and ball spot | Next down and distance | Reason and rule locator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
| 2 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
| 3 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
| 4 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
| 5 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
| 6 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________________________ |
Worked examples — reveal during instruction
Example A: First-and-10 at A20; a run ends at A23. A keeps possession: second-and-7. The target remains A30; 30 − 23 = 7. See 3-8-2–5.
Example B: Second-and-5 at A25; an accepted false start moves the ball to A20. It remains second down, now with 10 yards required. See 7-4-2 and 14-1-2.
Source: 2026 NFL Official Playing Rules.
Answer key — distribute after completion
- A, A36, first-and-10. A passed its A34 target. Rule 7-3-1(a).
- B, A42, first-and-10. A fell short on fourth down. Rule 7-3-2(a).
- B, B40, first-and-10. B finished with possession after the interception. Rule 7-3-2(b).
- A, A25, third-and-7. Five yards backward; no down consumed. Rules 7-4-2 and 14-1-2.
- A, A2, second-and-8. Half-distance enforcement moves it two yards; the target stays A10. Rules 14-2-1 and 14-1-2.
- B, A42, first-and-10. Declining preserves the short fourth-down result. Rules 14-1-1 and 7-3-2(a).
All locators refer to the 2026 NFL Official Playing Rules.
Teacher notes and preparation
Preparation and materials: Print the three learner blocks for each student and retain the two answer blocks separately. Prepare pencils, blank field sketches, two coloured counters and access to the cited NFL rulebook. Bookmark printed pages 4, 27, 54 and 55. Use counters on paper; no contact activity is required.
Before teaching: Explain that the audience age is an educational recommendation, not an indication that NFL rules govern school matches. This lesson does not cover NCAA, NFHS, youth, Canadian or flag rules. Goal-line cases, kicks, fumbles, multiple fouls, clock administration and replay are outside the exercise.
45-minute sequence:
- 0–5 minutes: Introduce the objectives and practise reading A/B field notation.
- 5–12 minutes: Use the bookmarked rules to introduce down, distance, possession and penalty decisions. Ask learners to identify which information they need before calculating.
- 12–18 minutes: Reveal the worked examples from the answer section. Move counters and ask students to narrate each calculation.
- 18–30 minutes: Students complete the six scenarios independently, then compare reasoning with a partner. Keep the answer key concealed.
- 30–40 minutes: Distribute the answer key. Students correct their work in another colour and find the supporting rule passages.
- 40–45 minutes: Ask each learner to explain one correction and identify the competition and edition used.
Assessment: Award one point for the correct possession and spot, one for down and distance, and one for a relevant explanation in each scenario: 18 points total. For Scenario 6, the explanation must address the declined penalty. Use errors to distinguish arithmetic difficulties from rule-selection difficulties.
Support: Provide a labelled field sketch and allow a partner to read the scenarios aloud. Extension: Ask students to change one starting number in a scenario, exchange it with a partner and verify the resulting decision against the same rule.
For later practice, use the existing downs, possession and penalty decision quiz. For wider context, visit American Football.