Third-quarter Sunday football naps were my favorite. I loved grabbing a blanket and snack and watching the Patriots play on Sundays. Once halftime started, I would take a quick nap and wake up in the fourth quarter to enjoy the game ending. Personally, it irritates me when boys my age or even my dad’s friends try to explain the rules to me, they always make it sound way more confusing than it actually is. A simple explanation is best, you don’t need to know what every penalty is about or the statistics on every player to enjoy the game.
During the fall and winter, the NFL (National Football League) hosts games every Monday, Thursday and Sunday, when teams face-off to determine who makes it to the playoffs and then Superbowl (the championship).Â
Each game has four quarters, 15 minutes long. The coin flip decides if the winning team wants to kick the ball to the other team or receive it. If the winning team decides to kick it, the other tries to run it as far as possible towards their end zone. If you see the receiver wave his hand before catching the ball, that is the fair catch sign, so the play stops and the receiver does not get tackled.Â
Each team gets 4 tries to move the ball 10 yards (10 yards are marked on the sidelines with big orange markers or on the TV screen with colored lines). If they get 10 yards or more, they have another chance to move the ball 10 yards or more toward their end zone. If they don’t they can either use their fourth try and risk giving the other team the ball at the same spot (a turnover) or they can kick the ball far to the other side of the field so the other team has fewer chances to score more points. When a player gets a touchdown, the team is awarded 6 points. Then, they can either kick the ball through the goalpost for 1 point, or be risky and try to run the ball into the end zone for 2 points. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins and if they are tied they have more time to score more points.Â
Either way, a football game is a great time to spend with friends and family, watch fun commercials, eat lots of food, and yell at referees regardless of whether you know what’s going on- or it makes a great background sound for a nice nap. I hope you catch a game this season and go Pats!