Yes, a team can score on a kickoff in American football: the receiving team can return the ball for a touchdown. The kick itself does not count as a field goal, and the kicking team cannot score simply by recovering its own kickoff.
The difference comes down to what happens after the ball is kicked, who gains possession, and where the play ends. Here’s how kickoff return touchdowns, touchbacks, onside kicks, and safeties work, plus how to tell whether a play actually adds points to the scoreboard.
Can you score a kickoff in american football?
Yes, but usually the score comes from a return, not from the kick itself. If a player on the receiving team returns the kickoff to the other team’s end zone, that is a touchdown. The touchdown is worth six points, and the scoring team can then attempt an extra point or a two-point conversion.
A kickoff is a free kick that starts a half or follows a score. It puts the ball into play, but it is not a field-goal attempt. Kicking the ball through the uprights during a kickoff does not earn three points. If the ball travels into or beyond the receiving team’s end zone without being returned, the result is generally a touchback or another dead-ball outcome under that league’s rules.
The kicking team may try to regain possession with an onside kick, but recovering the ball does not normally allow it to run for a touchdown. In both major American codes, the ball is dead when the kicking team gains possession of a free kick. The team gets the ball at the recovery spot or another rule-specified spot, not a scoring return.
How a kickoff return becomes a touchdown
A return touchdown happens when a receiving-team player gains control of the kicked ball and carries it across the opponents’ goal line without the play ending first. A teammate can also recover a loose ball and advance it, as long as the ball remains live and the applicable rules permit the recovery and advance.
The return can begin in the field of play or in the end zone. A player who catches the ball in the end zone can bring it out and score by running the length of the field. If the player takes a knee or the play otherwise ends in the end zone, there is no return touchdown; the play is typically a touchback. Specific touchback spots and kickoff procedures differ between the NFL, college football, and other leagues.
Once the runner crosses the goal line with the ball in their possession, the touchdown is complete. The returner does not need to touch the ball to a pylon or place it on the ground. The ball must be in bounds and under the runner’s control as the runner breaks the plane of the goal line.
What happens after the touchdown?
The touchdown gives the return team six points. It then chooses an extra-point kick, worth one point if successful, or a two-point conversion attempt from the designated spot. A successful return can therefore lead to seven or eight points on the possession sequence, but the conversion is a separate play and can fail.
Officials can review whether the runner had possession, whether the ball crossed the goal line, and whether a foul affected the play. A touchdown can be canceled if the runner was down before reaching the goal line or if a penalty wipes out the score.
Kickoff outcomes compared
The same kick can lead to very different results depending on who touches the ball and where it ends. Use this comparison to separate a scoring return from a dead ball or a change of possession.
| Kickoff result | Typical ruling | Does it score? | Best way to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving team returns the ball across the goal line | Touchdown | Yes, six points | A kickoff return touchdown |
| Ball reaches the end zone and the receiving player takes a knee or leaves it there | Usually a touchback | No | Possession starts at a league-specific spot |
| Kicking team recovers an eligible onside kick | Ball becomes dead for the kicking team | No | Possession changes; no recovery run for a touchdown |
| Receiving team controls the ball in its own end zone and is downed there | May be a safety, depending on how the ball got there | Yes, two points for the defense | Check whether the receiving team brought or forced the ball into the end zone |
| Kick travels through the uprights | Not a field goal | No | A kickoff is not a scoring kick |
Can the kicking team score on its own kickoff?
Not by simply recovering and advancing the ball. A kickoff is a free kick, and the kicking team has to let the ball travel the required distance before it can recover it without the receiving team touching it. In the NFL and NCAA, once the kicking team gains possession of a free kick, the ball is dead. The recovery can give the kicking team possession, but it does not become a live return for a touchdown.
This is why an onside kick is a possession strategy rather than a direct scoring play. The kicking team tries to send the ball the required distance and recover it, often when it needs another chance to score. If successful, it gets the ball and runs an offensive play from the spot of the recovery, subject to penalties and the league’s rules.
There is an important distinction: if the receiving team touches the ball before it has traveled the required distance, the ball may become available to either side. The kicking team can recover a ball touched by an opponent, even before the usual distance requirement is met. That still does not turn the recovery into a kickoff-return touchdown for the kicking team.
What is an onside kick?
An onside kick is a short kickoff designed to give the kicking team a chance to recover the ball. It is usually attempted when the kicking team is behind and wants to regain possession quickly. The receiving team is allowed to recover it too, and a failed attempt often gives that team favorable field position.
For a kicking team to recover a free kick that the receiving side has not touched, the kick generally must travel at least 10 yards first. The ball can also become recoverable earlier if a receiving-team player touches it. Formation, alignment, and other kickoff requirements vary by league and can change over time, so the precise setup is not identical in every competition.
When can a kickoff lead to a safety?
A safety is worth two points for the team that did not cause its opponent to become responsible for the ball being dead in its own end zone. On a kickoff play, a safety can occur if the receiving team gains control and is then downed in its own end zone, or if it commits a qualifying foul there.
The key is how the ball got into the end zone. A kickoff that simply travels into the end zone and is left untouched is generally not a safety. It is usually a touchback. A receiver who catches the ball in the field of play and retreats into the end zone, then gets tackled or goes down there, may create a safety situation. Officials apply the specific rules to the play’s sequence and the receiver’s control of the ball.
After a safety, the team that gave up the points usually kicks the ball to its opponent using the method set by its league. That restart is not the same as the original kickoff, so do not confuse a safety kick with a kickoff return.
Why a kick through the uprights does not count
A field goal is a scoring attempt made during a scrimmage play, usually when the offense snaps the ball to a holder and the kicker sends it through the uprights. A kickoff is a free kick used to start play. The goalposts may be in the ball’s path, but that does not change the type of play or make it a field-goal attempt.
If a kickoff sails through the posts or beyond the end line, the receiving team does not concede three points. The play is handled according to the kickoff and touchback rules in force for that competition. The ball’s route through the uprights is incidental; the play’s classification is what matters.
A separate play called a fair-catch kick can allow a team to attempt a field goal after a fair catch, if the rules and situation allow it. That is not a kickoff. The similarity is that both involve a kick, but the starting conditions and scoring rules are different.
How to tell what happened on a kickoff
If you are watching a game and the ruling is unclear, follow the play in order. A return can look like a score before a flag or dead-ball ruling changes the result.
- Identify who touched or controlled the ball. A receiving-team player’s control can start a return. A kicking-team recovery has different restrictions.
- Check whether the ball was live. A whistle, a knee down, a fair catch, or the ball going out of bounds can end the play.
- Look at where the ball became dead. Crossing the goal line with possession can mean a touchdown; ending in the receiver’s own end zone may mean a touchback or, in some situations, a safety.
- Check for flags and review. A penalty may change the spot, cancel a score, or require the play to be repeated.
- Separate the touchdown from the conversion. Six points are awarded for the touchdown; the try afterward is a distinct scoring attempt.
This sequence avoids a common misunderstanding: the ball crossing the goal line by itself does not guarantee a touchdown. The player must have possession, and the play must remain live until the ball crosses the plane.
How NFL and college kickoff rules can differ
The core scoring idea is the same in the NFL and college football: a receiving team can return a kickoff for a touchdown, while an ordinary kickoff is not a field-goal attempt. However, kickoff formations, touchback spots, fair-catch treatment, and special kickoff formats can differ. The NFL’s kickoff format has also changed in recent seasons, affecting player alignment and how returns develop.
Those differences matter when you are deciding whether a ball is dead, where the next possession starts, or whether a player can legally make a particular return. Do not assume that a rule you saw in one league applies unchanged to another. For a specific disputed play, the competition’s current rulebook and officials’ ruling determine the result.
The most useful distinction is simple: a return touchdown is a score by the team receiving the kick. A touchback is not a score, and an onside-kick recovery gives the kicking team possession without a scoring run. Once you know who had the ball and where the play ended, most kickoff rulings are easier to understand.
Yes, can you score a kickoff in american football? The receiving team can score six points by returning the ball for a touchdown. The kick itself is not a field goal, and the kicking team cannot advance its own free-kick recovery into a touchdown.
Next time you watch a kickoff, track who controls the ball and where the play ends. That will tell you whether you saw a touchdown, a touchback, a safety, or simply a change of possession.