American Football Abbreviations
80 abbreviations · part of Sports Abbreviations
Abbreviations for positions, statistics, scoring plays, penalties, roster designations, awards and league structure in American football at the NFL and college levels. They appear on depth charts, box scores, injury reports, broadcast graphics and fantasy football apps. Where the same letters mean something different in soccer, baseball or other sports, the entry points out the difference.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2PT | Two-point conversion | Scrimmage play after a touchdown in which the offense tries to reach the end zone again, from the 2-yard line in the NFL, for two points instead of kicking for one. |
| ADP | Average draft position | Average spot at which a player is chosen across many fantasy drafts on a platform, used to judge value. |
| AFC | American Football Conference | One of the two NFL conferences, made up of 16 teams in the East, North, South and West divisions. |
| ATT | Attempts | Statistic counting pass attempts for quarterbacks or rushing attempts (carries) for running backs. |
| C | Center (American football) | Offensive lineman in the middle of the line who snaps the ball between his legs to the quarterback to start each play and then blocks. |
| CB | Cornerback | Defensive back who lines up wide opposite the receivers and covers them in man-to-man or zone coverage, trying to prevent completions and make interceptions. |
| CFP | College Football Playoff | Postseason tournament that decides the FBS national champion, expanded for the 2024 season from four teams to twelve. |
| CMP | Completions | Number of forward passes caught by a receiver, a basic quarterback statistic shown next to attempts in box scores. |
| CPOY | Comeback Player of the Year | NFL award for a player who returns from serious injury or a severe slump to have an outstanding season, chosen by the Associated Press panel. |
| DB | Defensive back | Any player in the secondary: cornerbacks and safeties. |
| DC | Defensive coordinator | Assistant coach in charge of the defensive scheme, the game plan and in-game calls such as blitzes and coverages. |
| DE | Defensive end | Defensive lineman who lines up at either end of the defensive front, mainly responsible for rushing the passer and setting the edge against outside runs. |
| DL | Defensive line | Front-line defenders who line up opposite the offensive line: defensive ends, defensive tackles and, in some schemes, a nose tackle. |
| DPI | Defensive pass interference | Foul by a defender who illegally contacts or impedes a receiver while a pass is in the air. |
| DROY | Defensive Rookie of the Year | Annual NFL award for the best first-year defensive player, voted by the Associated Press panel. |
| DST | Defense/special teams | Fantasy football roster slot for an NFL team's entire defense and special teams unit, which scores points for sacks, takeaways, return touchdowns and points allowed. |
| DT | Defensive tackle | Interior defensive lineman who lines up over or between the guards and center, clogging running lanes and pushing the pocket on passing downs. |
| EPA | Expected points added | Advanced football metric measuring how much a play changes a team's expected points, based on down, distance, field position and time remaining. |
| FA | Free agent | Player whose contract has expired and who is free to sign with any team, subject to league rules. |
| FB | Fullback | Offensive back who usually lines up in front of the halfback in two-back sets and serves mainly as a lead blocker, occasionally carrying on short-yardage plays or… |
| FBS | Football Bowl Subdivision | Top level of NCAA Division I college football, with about 136 teams, including the members of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. |
| FCS | Football Championship Subdivision | Second tier of NCAA Division I football, formerly Division I-AA, with roughly 128 teams that compete in a 24-team playoff for an NCAA national championship. |
| FF | Forced fumble | Defensive statistic credited to the player who causes a ball carrier to fumble by punching, stripping or hitting the ball loose. |
| FG | Field goal (American football) | Three-point score made by place-kicking the ball between the uprights and over the crossbar during a scrimmage play. |
| FS | Free safety | Safety who typically plays deep in the middle of the field, reading the quarterback and helping on long passes. |
| FUM | Fumble | Loss of possession by a ball carrier before the play is dead, which either team can recover. |
| HB | Halfback | Ball-carrying back who lines up behind the quarterback, often as the deepest back in single-back sets or beside a fullback. |
| HC | Head coach | Top coach of a football team, responsible for the program, game-management decisions such as fourth-down calls and replay challenges, and the staff of coordinators and… |
| INT | Interception | Pass caught by a defensive player, giving his team possession. |
| IR | Injured reserve | NFL roster designation for players with significant injuries, who no longer count against the 53-man active roster but cannot play until eligible to return. |
| K | Kicker | Specialist who kicks field goals, extra points and kickoffs. |
| KR | Kick returner | Player who fields kickoffs and runs them back, trying to gain field position or score. |
| LB | Linebacker | Defensive player who lines up behind the defensive line and in front of the defensive backs, responsible for stopping the run, covering backs and tight ends, and… |
| LOS | Line of scrimmage | Imaginary line across the field at the spot of the ball before each play, which neither team may cross until the snap. |
| LS | Long snapper | Specialist who snaps the ball about seven yards to the holder on field goals and about 15 yards to the punter on punts. |
| LT | Left tackle | Offensive tackle on the left end of the line, guarding a right-handed quarterback's blind side against speed rushers. |
| MLB | Middle linebacker | Central linebacker in a 4-3 defense, typically the defensive signal-caller who wears the radio helmet and reads the offense to fill running lanes. |
| NFC | National Football Conference | The other NFL conference, with 16 teams in East, North, South and West divisions, including many of the league's oldest franchises such as the Bears, Packers and Giants. |
| NT | Nose tackle | Defensive lineman who lines up directly over the center ("on the nose"), usually in a 3-4 defense. |
| OC | Offensive coordinator | Assistant coach who designs the offensive game plan and, on many teams, calls the plays during games. |
| OG | Offensive guard | Interior lineman who lines up between the center and a tackle on each side, usually listed as LG and RG. |
| OL | Offensive line | The five offensive players who line up on the line of scrimmage to block: a center, two guards and two tackles. |
| OLB | Outside linebacker | Linebacker who lines up outside the tackles; in 3-4 defenses outside linebackers are the main pass rushers, while in 4-3 schemes they cover more and set the edge… |
| OPOY | Offensive Player of the Year | Annual NFL award for the best offensive player, voted by a national panel for the Associated Press and presented at NFL Honors before the Super Bowl. |
| OROY | Offensive Rookie of the Year | NFL award for the top first-year offensive player, voted by the Associated Press panel each season. |
| OT | Offensive tackle | Lineman who plays at either end of the offensive line, outside the guards. |
| OTA | Organized team activities | Voluntary offseason practices that NFL teams hold in late spring, usually about ten sessions without live contact. |
| P | Punter | Specialist who kicks the ball away on fourth down by dropping it and kicking it before it touches the ground, aiming to pin the opponent deep or gain maximum distance. |
| PA | Play-action | Passing play that begins with a fake handoff to draw linebackers and safeties toward the line before the quarterback throws. |
| PAT | Point after touchdown | Try to add a point after a touchdown by kicking the ball through the uprights, also called the extra point or conversion. |
| PD | Passes defensed | Defensive statistic for passes a defender deflects or breaks up; NFL statistics count interceptions as passes defensed as well. |
| PF | Personal foul (basketball) | Foul for illegal physical contact with an opponent, such as pushing, holding, blocking or reaching in. |
| PI | Pass interference | Foul in which a player illegally hinders an opponent's chance to catch a forward pass while the ball is in the air. |
| PPR | Points per reception | Fantasy football scoring format that awards a point for every catch in addition to points for yards and touchdowns. |
| PR | Punt returner | Player who catches punts and tries to advance them, deciding instantly whether to return the kick, signal a fair catch or let the ball bounce. |
| PS | Practice squad | Group of NFL players who practice with a team but are not on the active roster; other clubs may sign them to their own 53-man rosters. |
| PUP | Physically unable to perform | NFL list for players who cannot practice because of football injuries suffered before training camp. |
| QB | Quarterback | Offensive player who lines up behind or under the center, receives the snap and starts nearly every play by handing off, running or throwing a forward pass. |
| QBR | Total Quarterback Rating | Quarterback efficiency metric developed by ESPN and introduced in 2011, scored from 0 to 100 with 50 representing average play. |
| RB | Running back | Offensive backfield player whose main job is carrying the ball on rushing plays after a handoff or pitch from the quarterback. |
| REC | Receptions | Number of passes caught by a receiver, running back or tight end. |
| RFA | Restricted free agent | Free agent whose former team can match any offer sheet from another club or receive draft-pick compensation if it declines. |
| RPO | Run-pass option | Offensive play that packages a run and a pass in one call: after the snap the quarterback reads a defender and either hands off or throws a quick pass. |
| RTP | Roughing the passer | Fifteen-yard personal foul for hitting a quarterback late, low, high or with excessive force after he has thrown the ball. |
| S | Safety | Deep defensive back who lines up furthest from the line of scrimmage, protecting against long passes and supporting run defense. |
| SB | Super Bowl | Championship game of the NFL, played in February between the AFC and NFC champions and identified by Roman numerals, such as Super Bowl LIX. |
| SS | Strong safety | Safety who lines up on the strong side of the formation, where the tight end is, and plays closer to the line to support run defense and cover tight ends. |
| ST | Special teams | Units that take the field for kicking plays: kickoffs, kick returns, punts, punt returns, field goals and extra points. |
| TD | Touchdown | Six-point score made by carrying the ball across the opponent's goal line or catching a pass in the end zone. |
| TE | Tight end | Hybrid position that lines up next to an offensive tackle ("tight" to the line) and both blocks on running plays and catches passes. |
| TFL | Tackle for loss | Tackle that brings down the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage, costing the offense yards. |
| TKL | Tackles | Number of times a defender brings down a ball carrier, the basic defensive statistic. |
| TOP | Time of possession | Amount of game time a team holds the ball on offense, shown in team stats as minutes and seconds out of 60. |
| UFA | Unrestricted free agent | Free agent who can sign with any team without the former club having a right to match the offer. |
| WR | Wide receiver | Pass-catching player who lines up near the sideline or in the slot, running routes to get open for the quarterback's throws. |
| XP | Extra point | One-point kick after a touchdown, the everyday name for the point-after try. |
| YAC | Yards after catch | Yardage a receiver gains after catching a pass, measured from the point of the catch to where the play ends. |
| YDS | Yards | Column header in box scores for yardage gained passing, rushing or receiving. |
| YPA | Yards per attempt | Passing efficiency stat: passing yards divided by pass attempts. |
| YPC | Yards per carry | Running back efficiency stat: total rushing yards divided by rushing attempts. |