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By Victor Mather
A listing of N.F.L. scores usually includes a lot of familiar numbers: 21, 14, 35, 17.
But this season, just maybe, there might be an unfamiliar number in the mix. Could an N.F.L. game actually end, say, 23-1?
It is one of the oddities of American football that a team can score 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 222 points in a game, but never 1.
As they are with poutine and toques, Canadians are ahead of the United States in 1-point plays. In Canadian football, the rouge, essentially a punt that goes into the end zone and is not returned, earns a point for the kicking team.
In July 2012, the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Edmonton Eskimos, 17-1, the last time a C.F.L. team scored a single point in a game.
Now the Lower 48 may finally be catching up.
Among the tweaks to the N.F.L. rules this season were several to extra points. The one that got the most attention is that the kicks will be attempted from the 15-yard line to make them a little more difficult.
Less noticed was a change to the safety rules on extra points and 2-point conversions. A safety is now possible for either team and will be worth 1 point. Rule 11-3-2-c states, “If the try results in what would ordinarily be a safety against either team, one point is awarded to the opponent.”
In the past in the N.F.L., if an extra point was blocked, the ball was declared dead if a defender got hold of it. Under the new rules, he can try to return it, possibly all the way for a touchdown, which would be worth 2 points.
Perhaps a defensive player recovers the ball in the field of play, and while returning it he retreats into the end zone and is pulled down there. That will be a 1-point safety for the kicking team.
This has happened, though rarely, in the college game, notably in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, when an Oregon extra point was blocked and a Kansas State player was tackled with the ball in the end zone. Oregon was awarded a point.
We may see such a safety in the N.F.L., perhaps even this season.
It is also possible for the defending team on the extra point to get a 1-point safety. Don’t hold your breath, but. ...
Imagine an extra point is blocked. The ball caroms back 20 yards, and the kicking team gets it but immediately fumbles. The ball bounces farther down the field the wrong way. Maybe it is icy or rainy, and ball handling is difficult. Another offensive player grabs the ball and drops it. More bounces and bumbling, and the ball eventually travels 85 yards into the far end zone. One final player on the kicking team grabs the ball and is brought down. The result will be a 1-point safety for the defending team.
If that team has not yet scored a point in the game, and it also fails to score a point the rest of the way, we will finally see our first 6-1 or 26-1 or 44-1 final score.
It may be years, if ever, before a fluky safety by the defensive team on a conversion occurs. And a final score of 1 is unlikely to the point of absurdity.
But in the league that brought us the Miracle at the Meadowlands, the Snow Bowl and an eight-month contretemps over underinflated footballs, it almost seems possible.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section
B
, Page
11
of the New York edition
with the headline:
One-Point Score Arrives in the N.F.L. . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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As a seasoned football enthusiast with an in-depth understanding of the sport, I can confidently delve into the intriguing concept presented in the New York Times article titled "N.F.L. Team Scoring Just 1 Point? Now It’s Possible," published on September 10, 2015.
The article explores the possibility of an N.F.L. game ending with an unusual score like 23-1, a scenario previously unheard of in American football. To support this claim, the author discusses the historical context, comparing the scoring system in American football with that of Canadian football. In Canadian football, a "rouge" is awarded when a punt enters the end zone and is not returned, giving the kicking team a single point. The article highlights an instance in July 2012 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 17-1 in the Canadian Football League (C.F.L.).
The main focus of the article, however, lies in the changes to the N.F.L. rules implemented in the 2015 season. Specifically, adjustments to extra points and 2-point conversions are highlighted. While the more widely discussed modification involves moving the extra point kicks to the 15-yard line to increase difficulty, a less noticed rule change relates to safety rules during these plays.
According to Rule 11-3-2-c, a safety is now possible for either team during extra points and 2-point conversions, earning the opposing team one point. This alteration allows for various scenarios where a team could achieve a 1-point safety. For instance, if the defending team recovers a blocked extra point attempt in the field of play and is subsequently tackled in their own end zone, the kicking team is awarded a point.
The article then goes on to describe hypothetical situations where a 1-point safety could occur during extra point attempts. For instance, if an extra point is blocked, and the ball bounces back into the field of play before being fumbled, kicked, or otherwise moved by the kicking team into their own end zone, a 1-point safety could be awarded to the defending team. The author outlines a series of events involving fumbles, mishandling of the ball, and unfavorable weather conditions that could lead to such a rare occurrence.
While acknowledging the improbability of a final score of 1 due to a 1-point safety, the article concludes by suggesting that in the unpredictable world of the N.F.L., known for its memorable moments and unexpected twists, such a scenario is not entirely implausible.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive exploration of the rule changes and potential scenarios that could lead to the introduction of a 1-point score in N.F.L. games, drawing comparisons with Canadian football and offering a glimpse into the intricacies of the sport's evolving regulations.
