The rarest play in football and the confusing rule behind it (2024)

FAQs

What is the rarest play in football? ›

Usage. The fair catch kick rule is very rarely invoked, and is one of the rarest plays in football. The rule has been regarded as "obscure", "bizarre", and "quirky".

A much rarer occurrence is the one-point (or conversion) safety, which can be scored by the offense on an extra point or two-point conversion attempt: these have occurred at least twice in NCAA Division I football since 1996, most recently at the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, though no conversion safeties have occurred since 1940 ...

It is important to note that specific score outcomes are impossible due to the scoring rules in place. Specifically, results such as 1-1, 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1, and 7-1 are not viable. This is because a score of 5-1 can only be obtained through a field goal and a conventional safety, which is highly unlikely.

The "free kick" is more like a kickoff, except the kicker has to attempt the field goal off the ground and there's also a holder (The kicker also has the option to dropkick the ball, but that almost never happens).

When was the last 0-0 tie in the NFL? The most recent 0-0 tie came on Nov. 7, 1943, in a game played between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions. The two teams combined for nine first downs and 214 yards at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

11 points: Scoring 11 points is not a valid scoring option in American Football [1]. 12 points: It is not possible to score exactly 12 points in American Football [1]. 13 points: Scoring 13 points is not a valid scoring option in American Football [1].

Yes, there have been 73 games in NFL history that ended as 0-0 ties. All occurred in the early days of the NFL, and the most recent one occurred in 1943. Since the NFL merger in 1970, however, the fewest combined points scored in a game is three.

If the score remains tied after both teams have had a possession, then the next score of any kind wins the game. These rules ensure that a Super Bowl or any playoff game cannot end in a tie, maintaining the necessity for a decisive outcome to determine the championship.

In the NFL, players are not allowed to wear the number 0 on their jerseys. This is because the number 0 is not a valid number for player positions, according to the league's numbering rules for players. The NFL assigns specific numbers to different positions, and the number 0 is not included in those rules.

Can you punt a free kick? ›

Once awarded a free kick, the team must decide how they wish to play it. Options include choosing to play a place kick, drop kick, punt, or take it as a scrum.

In the NFL, it is illegal to kick a loose ball. No player may deliberately kick a loose ball or a ball that is in a player's possession. Penalty: For illegally kicking the ball: Loss of 10 yards.

If an NFL kickoff or punt goes through the uprights like a field goal, it is called a "drop kick field goal." However, the outcome differs depending on whether it is a kickoff or a punt. Kickoff: When a kickoff goes through the uprights, it does not result in any points [2]. Instead, it is considered a touchback.

The most rare play is the unassisted triple play, as there have been only 15 players that have completed an unassisted triple play.

Unassisted triple plays

Bill Wambsganss executed an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series. The rarest type of triple play, and one of the rarest events of any kind in baseball, is for a single fielder to complete all three outs in one play.

Perhaps the most famous play in NFL history, Franco Harris' catch is still debated to this day – 50 years after the event. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to John Fuqua, which was deflected backwards where Harris snatched the ball off the ground.

Pittsburgh running back Franco Harris' scoop of a deflected pass and subsequent run for the winning touchdown in a 1972 playoff victory against Oakland -- forever known as the "Immaculate Reception" -- has been voted the greatest play in NFL history.