Game day guide
40 football trivia questions with answers
The short answer
Below are 40 football trivia questions with answers, split into four rounds of ten: scoring, the field and clock, penalties and officials, and football lingo. They test how the game works rather than who won what, so a newcomer can get some right and nothing goes out of date. Run one round per quarter break, or all four at halftime.
Key takeaways
- Four rounds of ten, ordered roughly easy to hard within each round.
- Rules and lingo questions reward people who watch, not people who memorize stats.
- Pro-game specifics are marked; college rules sometimes differ.
- One round fits a commercial break; all four fill a halftime.
- Score it like the game: 1 point per answer, a bonus round for ties.
Round 1: scoring
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many points is a touchdown worth? | 6 |
| How many points is a field goal worth? | 3 |
| How many points does a safety score? | 2 |
| What are the two options after a touchdown? | A 1-point kick (extra point) or a 2-point conversion play |
| After a safety, which team gets the ball? | The team that scored the safety — the other team must kick it to them |
| What is a “pick six”? | An interception returned for a touchdown |
| What is a “pick six” worth on the scoreboard? | 6 points, the same as any touchdown, before the try |
| In the pro game, from which yard line is the ball snapped for a 2-point try? | The 2-yard line |
| In the pro game, from which yard line is the extra-point kick snapped? | The 15-yard line |
| Can the defense score on a 2-point try? | Yes — returning a turnover from the try to the other end zone scores 2 |
Round 2: the field and the clock
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long is the field between the goal lines? | 100 yards |
| How deep is each end zone? | 10 yards |
| How wide is a football field? | 53⅓ yards (160 feet) |
| How many players does each team have on the field? | 11 |
| How many downs does the offense get to gain 10 yards? | 4 |
| How long is each quarter in a pro game? | 15 minutes |
| How many timeouts does each team get per half? | 3 |
| What is the two-minute warning? | An automatic stoppage with two minutes left in each half of a pro game |
| What is the “red zone”? | The area inside the opponent's 20-yard line |
| What are the orange markers at the corners of each end zone called? | Pylons |
Round 3: penalties and officials
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What color is the penalty flag officials throw? | Yellow |
| What color is the flag a coach throws to challenge a play? | Red |
| How many yards is a false start? | 5 |
| How many yards is offensive holding? | 10 |
| How many yards is roughing the passer? | 15 |
| Where is the ball placed after defensive pass interference? | At the spot of the foul, with an automatic first down |
| What is a “delay of game”? | Failing to snap the ball before the play clock runs out — 5 yards |
| What is encroachment? | A defender crossing the line and contacting an opponent before the snap |
| What is the yellow line on a TV broadcast? | The first-down marker — a graphic added for TV, not painted on the field |
| What do “the chains” measure? | The 10 yards needed for a first down, marked on the sideline |
Round 4: football lingo
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a sack? | Tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before a throw |
| What is a “Hail Mary”? | A long, low-odds pass thrown toward the end zone, usually at the end of a half |
| What is an audible? | The quarterback changing the play at the line of scrimmage |
| What is a blitz? | Sending extra defenders, beyond the usual rushers, after the quarterback |
| What is a fair catch? | A punt or kick returner waving to catch the ball without being hit — and without running it back |
| What is an onside kick? | A short kickoff the kicking team tries to recover itself |
| What is a “turnover on downs”? | Losing the ball by failing to convert on fourth down |
| What does “icing the kicker” mean? | Calling a timeout just before a kick to make the kicker wait |
| What is a nickel defense? | A defense with five defensive backs instead of the usual four |
| What is play action? | Faking a handoff to freeze the defense, then passing |
How to run football trivia at a watch party
- Make teams — Pair a devoted fan with a newcomer. Rules questions level the field better than stats ever do.
- One round per break — Read a round of ten during a long commercial break or halftime. Answers on paper or a phone, then swap to mark.
- Keep a running board — Write each team's total somewhere visible. A tie after four rounds goes to a sudden-death question.
- Keep the game on — Trivia fills the breaks; the broadcast is still the main event. Stop the round when play resumes.
Want something for the live play too?
Trivia covers the breaks. For the play itself, a live-broadcast game keeps everyone in it snap to snap. Final Whistle is built for that: you hold face-up cards naming moments that can happen on TV, call them when they do, and bank the points — 2–12 players, adults 21+.
Questions
What are good football trivia questions for beginners?
Start with scoring — how many points a touchdown, field goal and safety are worth — and with things visible on TV, like the color of the penalty flag or what the yellow line means. Round 1 and Round 3 above are the most beginner-friendly.
How many trivia questions do you need for a football party?
Ten questions fill a long commercial break; forty fill halftime with time to mark answers. Four rounds of ten, one per break, keeps trivia going without competing with the game.
Are the answers the same in college football?
Most are. A few pro-game specifics differ at other levels — the extra-point and 2-point snap distances and the two-minute warning are pro rules — which is why those questions are labelled.
How do you break a tie in football trivia?
Ask one sudden-death question and let the first correct answer win, or have both teams guess a number — like the final combined score — and take the closest.