Down (gridiron football)

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A down in gridiron football is an attempt by the offensive team to run a play to advance the ball, while the defending team simultaneously attempts to halt their advance. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with the 6 "tackle" rule in rugby league.

The team in possession of the football has a limited number of downs (four in American football, three in Canadian football) to advance ten yards or more towards their opponent's goal line (end zone). If they advance ten yards, they are awarded a first down, or another set of downs to advance a further ten yards. If they fail to advance that far after using all of their downs, possession of the ball is turned over to the other team. In most situations if a team reaches the final down, they will punt to their opponent, which forces them to begin their drive from further down the field; if they are in range, they might instead attempt to kick a field goal.