Football 101 | Silver & Black HQ

The Basics

An NFL game is 60 minutes of play split into four 15-minute quarters. Two teams take turns on offense (trying to score) and defense (trying to stop the other team). The team with more points at the end wins.

The offense gets four attempts — called downs — to move the ball at least 10 yards forward. If they get those 10 yards, they earn a fresh set of four downs. If they don't, the other team gets the ball.

Each team has 11 players on the field at a time. The offensive and defensive units swap in and out — a player on offense doesn't play defense, and vice versa. There's also a special teams unit for kicks.

The Field

The field is 100 yards long with a 10-yard end zone at each end. Yard lines are marked every 5 yards. The 50-yard line is the midpoint. When you hear "the Raiders are at the 30," it means the ball is on the 30-yard line — how close to the end zone depends on which direction they're going.

Teams switch which end zone they're attacking at halftime.

How Scoring Works

Touchdown — 6 points: A player carries or catches the ball into the opponent's end zone. This is the primary goal of every offensive drive.
Extra Point — 1 point: After a touchdown, the team can kick the ball through the goalposts from the 15-yard line. This is almost automatic for NFL kickers.
Two-Point Conversion — 2 points: Instead of kicking the extra point, the team can try to get into the end zone again from the 2-yard line. Higher risk, higher reward.
Field Goal — 3 points: If the offense stalls but is close enough, the kicker can try to boot the ball through the goalposts. The closer you are, the easier the kick.
Safety — 2 points: If the defense tackles an offensive player in that player's own end zone, the defensive team scores 2 points and gets the ball back. Rare, but it happens.

Offensive Positions

Quarterback (QB): The leader of the offense. Calls plays, throws passes, and sometimes runs the ball. Everything flows through the QB. The Raiders currently have Aidan O'Connell but are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick.
Running Back (RB): Takes handoffs from the QB and runs the ball. Also catches passes out of the backfield. Ashton Jeanty is the Raiders' star RB — a generational talent drafted in 2025.
Fullback (FB): A bigger back who primarily blocks for the running back. Not every team uses one. The Raiders signed Connor Heyward for this role.
Wide Receiver (WR): Lines up out wide and runs routes to catch passes from the QB. Speed and route-running are everything. The Raiders have Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech among others.
Tight End (TE): A hybrid — part receiver, part blocker. Lines up next to the offensive line. Brock Bowers is one of the Raiders' most important offensive weapons at this position.
Offensive Line (OL): Five players who protect the QB and open holes for the RB. They are the center (C), two guards (LG, RG), and two tackles (LT, RT). Tyler Linderbaum is the Raiders' new Pro Bowl center. Kolton Miller plays left tackle. These players rarely get headlines, but nothing works without them.

Defensive Positions

Defensive Line (DL): The big guys up front. Defensive ends (DE) rush from the outside. Defensive tackles (DT) and nose tackles (NT) clog the middle. The Raiders run a 3-4 base defense, meaning three down linemen.
Edge Rusher (EDGE): A pass-rushing specialist who lines up on the edge of the line. Their job is to get to the QB. Maxx Crosby is one of the best in the NFL at this — he's the Raiders' franchise cornerstone.
Linebacker (LB): The middle layer of the defense. They stop the run, cover receivers, and sometimes rush the QB. In a 3-4, there are four linebackers. The Raiders signed Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean to anchor this group.
Cornerback (CB): Covers wide receivers. Their job is to prevent catches and intercept passes. Eric Stokes and Taron Johnson are the Raiders' current starting corners.
Safety (S): The last line of defense. They play deep and help both against the run and the pass. Free safeties (FS) cover more ground; strong safeties (SS) play closer to the line.

Special Teams

Kicker (K): Kicks field goals and extra points. Matt Gay is the Raiders' kicker — a veteran with a career 84.3% field goal rate.
Punter (P): When the offense can't convert on fourth down, the punter kicks the ball as far down the field as possible to flip field position.
Kick/Punt Returner: Catches kicks and punts and tries to run them back for better field position — or, if they're fast enough, a touchdown.

Key Terms You'll Hear

Down: An attempt. "3rd and 7" means it's the third attempt and the offense needs 7 more yards to get a fresh set of downs.
Line of Scrimmage: The invisible line where the ball sits before each play. Neither team can cross it before the ball is snapped.
Snap: The center hikes (passes) the ball between his legs to the QB to start a play.
Sack: When a defensive player tackles the QB behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw. Maxx Crosby is very good at this.
Interception: When a defensive player catches a pass intended for an offensive receiver. Huge momentum swing.
Fumble: When a player drops the ball while running. Either team can recover it.
Penalty: A rule violation. Results in yards being added or subtracted. Common ones include offsides (crossing the line early), holding (grabbing a player illegally), and pass interference (preventing a fair catch attempt).
Red Zone: The area inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Offenses are expected to score when they get here.
Blitz: When the defense sends extra players to rush the QB. High risk, high reward — if the QB gets the ball out quickly, it can backfire.
Audible: When the QB changes the play at the line of scrimmage based on what the defense is showing. Smart QBs do this constantly.
Franchise Tag: A one-year contract designation that keeps a player from leaving in free agency. It guarantees them a high salary but limits their freedom.
Salary Cap: The maximum amount a team can spend on player salaries in a given year. For 2026, it's projected between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team.
Free Agency: The period when players whose contracts have expired can sign with any team. The Raiders have been very active in 2026 free agency.
Draft: The annual event where teams select eligible college players. Teams with worse records pick first. The Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick in 2026.