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What has to happen for an NFL field-goal attempt to count as a field goal?
For a standard NFL field goal, the rulebook requires a qualifying place kick or drop kick from the stated spot, no ground or offensive-player contact before the ball passes through the goal, and the entire ball passing through the vertical plane above the crossbar and between the uprights or their outside edges. A standard field goal is worth three points. A successful field-goal kick on a post-touchdown Try is worth one point under the separate Try rule.
For Fans checking whether a close or unusual kick counted on the scoreboard. · Updated
Start with the type and spot of kick
The 2026 rulebook says a successful field goal must be a place kick or drop kick made by the offense from on or behind the line of scrimmage, or from the spot of a fair catch for a fair-catch kick. If a fair catch is made or awarded outside the inbounds line, the kick spot is the nearest inbounds line.
That is a rule about how the attempt is made and where it begins. It does not say that a kick is successful just because it travels a long way or looks close from a camera angle.
Check the ball's path through the goal
After the kick, the ball must not touch the ground or a player of the kicking team before passing through the goal. The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal: above the crossbar and between the uprights, or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges.
The rulebook gives one additional edge case. If the ball passes through the goal and returns through it without striking the ground or an object or person beyond the goal, the attempt is unsuccessful. A partial passage through the goal plane is not enough because the rule requires the entire ball to pass.
Apply the right point value
A standard field goal is three points. A Try kick after a touchdown uses the same successful-kick conditions referenced by the rulebook, but it earns one point under the Try rule. Identify whether the play is a normal field-goal attempt or a Try before reading the scoreboard change.
A hypothetical kick through the goal
Suppose an offense makes a place kick from an eligible spot. The ball avoids the ground and offensive players before reaching the goal, and the entire ball passes above the crossbar between the uprights. That satisfies the stated success conditions: it adds three points on a standard field-goal attempt. If the ball first touches the ground before passing through, the stated contact condition is not met. If the same successful kick is a Try after a touchdown, the Try rule assigns one point instead of the standard three.
Related questions
How many points is a successful field goal worth?
A standard field goal is worth three points. If the kick is a Try after a touchdown, the successful Try kick is worth one point.
Does the entire ball have to pass the goal plane?
Yes. Rule 11 says the entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, within the stated area above the crossbar and between the uprights or their outside edges.