How many players are on an American football team?
An American football team has 11 players on the field at a time. NFL teams have 53 players on the active roster, with separate units for offense, defense and special teams.
The offense includes a quarterback, running backs, wide receivers, a tight end and five offensive linemen. The defense uses linemen, linebackers and defensive backs. Special teams come on for kicks and punts.
Because players specialize so much, very few play both offense and defense. NFL teams can dress up to 48 players on game day from their 53-man roster, plus extra practice squad players in some cases.
Why so many players?
Football is a physical sport with frequent substitutions, and coaches change players for different situations, such as short-yardage plays or passing downs. College teams can have more than 100 players on their rosters.
A team gets four attempts, called downs, to move the ball at least 10 yards. If it succeeds, it earns a new set of downs. A touchdown is worth 6 points, and a field goal is worth 3.
Did You Know?
The first college football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, with 25 players on each side.