GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How many points can an NFL touchdown add after the try?
The touchdown itself is worth six points. The Try is a separate play: it can add one point on a successful kick, two points for a touchdown scored by either team, or no points if it is unsuccessful. A Try that results in what would ordinarily be a safety awards one point to the opponent.
For NFL viewers reconciling a touchdown with the next scoreboard change. · Updated
Count the touchdown first
The 2026 NFL rulebook assigns six points to a touchdown. That is the first scoreboard change. The next play, called a Try, is a separate opportunity after the touchdown; it is not included in the six points.
A Try uses one scrimmage down, and the game clock does not run during it. Keeping the two events separate makes a scoreboard easier to read: first record the touchdown, then record the Try result.
For the team that scored the touchdown, the ordinary completed branches are six points if the Try adds nothing, seven after a successful Try kick, or eight after that team scores a touchdown on the Try. The defense can score during the Try too, so additional points do not always go to the team that scored the original touchdown.
Check what happened on the Try
The rulebook gives the Try its own scoring outcomes. A successful kick by the offense adds one point. A touchdown by either team adds two points to the team that scored that touchdown. A Try that results in what would ordinarily be a safety awards one point to the opponent. If the play results in a touchback, the Try is unsuccessful and is not replayed.
- Offense makes the Try kick: add one point to the offense.
- Either team scores a touchdown on the Try: add two points to the team that scored it.
- The Try results in a safety under the Try rule: award one point to the opponent.
- The play results in a touchback: no Try points and no replay.
Read the final score in order
Start with the score immediately before the touchdown. Add six to the team that scored it, then apply the separate Try result to the team named by that result. This avoids treating every touchdown as an automatic seven points or assuming the offense always gets the Try points.
This is team-score arithmetic only. The rulebook's scoring values do not explain which individual player receives a passing, rushing, or receiving statistic for a particular play.
A hypothetical touchdown and three Try outcomes
Suppose Team A leads Team B 10–7. Team A scores a touchdown, so the score becomes 16–7 before the Try. If the Try is unsuccessful, it stays 16–7. If Team A makes the Try kick, it becomes 17–7. If Team A scores a touchdown on the Try, it becomes 18–7. In a separate branch, if Team B scores a touchdown during the Try, Team B receives two points and the score becomes 16–9. These are fictional branches using the 2026 rule values, not a report of a real game.
Related questions
Does a touchdown automatically make the score seven points higher?
No. The touchdown adds six. A successful Try kick adds one more, but the Try can also add two, add nothing, or award a point to the opponent under the Try safety rule.
Can the defense score during the Try?
Yes. The 2026 rulebook awards two points for a touchdown by either team during the Try. It also assigns one point to the opponent if the Try results in what would ordinarily be a safety.