Need to know
Super Bowl LX is here and we have all you need to know about the rules of the ultimate championship game
Everything you need to know about watching the Super Bowl this Sunday
- How does scoring work? A touchdown is the number one goal and is worth six points for the scoring team. This happens when a player carries the ball into the opponent’s end zone or catches a pass while standing inside it.
- The extra point choice: After scoring a TD, the team can kick the ball through the uprights for one extra point. Alternatively, they can try to run or pass it into the end zone again from very close range for two points, though this is a risky play.
- Field goals: If a team gets close to the end zone but cannot score a touchdown, they may choose to kick a field goal for three points. These are usually attempted on ‘fourth down’ when the team is within roughly 40-50 yards of the goalposts.
- A safety score: A safety is worth two points and is a rare way for the defence to score. It happens if an offensive player with the ball is tackled inside their own end zone or commits certain penalties there.
- The downs system: The offence has four attempts, called ‘downs,’ to move the ball forward at least 10 yards. If they succeed, they get a fresh set of four downs; if they fail after the fourth try, the other team takes possession.
- Match times: A standard game consists of four 15-minute quarters, totalling 60 minutes of official ‘game clock’ time. However, because the clock stops for penalties, incomplete passes, and timeouts, a typical game actually lasts about three hours.
- Super Bowl halftime: While regular games have a 12-minute halftime, the Super Bowl halftime lasts approximately 30 minutes. This extra time is required to set up and perform the massive musical production, which features Bad Bunny this year.
- Player bonuses: For Super Bowl LX, the winning team will receive a bonus of around £130,000 per player. The players on the losing team don’t go home empty-handed, as they are set to receive £75,000 each.
- Playoff accumulation: These bonuses are on top of the money earned in previous playoff rounds, meaning a player could earn up to £275,000 in total postseason pay. This money comes from a league-wide pool rather than the individual teams’ salary caps.
- The 11-man regulation: Each team has 11 players on the field at any one time, but rosters are huge because players specialise in Offence, Defence, or Special Teams. When the ball changes hands, the entire group of 11 usually swaps out for a completely different unit.
- READ MORE ABOUT THE NEWS SURROUNDING THE SUPER BOWL HERE: NFL respond to Bad Bunny’s ICE protests as statement released ahead of Super Bowl LX
