Football Crossword Puzzles Printable

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Football Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

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Word bank

  • Blitz
  • Bye
  • Drive
  • Juke
  • Route
  • Sneak
  • Squad
  • Upset

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Answer key: Football Crossword

1R2SQ3UA4DONPR5JUKESITAEV6BYEKTELITZ

Across 2 SQUAD · 5 JUKE · 6 BYE

Down 1 ROUTE · 2 SNEAK · 3 UPSET · 4 DRIVE · 6 BLITZ

Next step Find football words in a word searchUnscramble football words

All 146 clues

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The Field 27

  • Backfield Where the ball carriers wait, a few yards back of the blockers
  • Bench Where substitutes sit and wait
  • Booth Room high above the seats where announcers call the action
  • Boundary Chalked limit that a runner must stay inside
  • Chains Metal links stretched between two poles to measure a close call
  • Crossbar Horizontal bar ten feet off the ground
  • Dome Rounded roof that keeps rain and snow off the crowd
  • End zone Ten-yard-deep scoring area at either end of the field
  • Fifty Number on the stripe that splits the field in half
  • Goal line White stripe at the front of each scoring area
  • Goalpost Tall fork that a kicked ball must sail through
  • Gridiron Slang name for the field, borrowed from a cooking grate
  • Hash mark One of the short painted lines that show each single yard
  • Hundred Count of yards from one scoring stripe to the other
  • Midfield Where the 50 is painted
  • Pocket Protected space around a thrower, or a place for your keys
  • Pylon Soft orange post, one at each corner of both scoring areas
  • Red zone Last twenty yards before the scoring area, named for a color
  • Scoreboard Lit-up display of points, period and seconds remaining
  • Sideline Long white border of the field, where play stops
  • Stadium Huge bowl of seats built around the field
  • Stands Tiered seating that fills up on game day
  • Tailgate To picnic from the back of a car in the parking lot before the game
  • Tee Small rubber prop that holds the ball still for the opening kick
  • Tunnel Passage the home side charges out of before the opening kick
  • Turf Grass, or the green plastic carpet that replaces it
  • Upright Either of two tall vertical poles that a kick must go between

Positions 28

  • Backup Second-string player, ready if needed
  • Captain Player who meets the referee for the opening flip
  • Center Player in the middle of the front five who hikes the ball
  • Coach Adult who plans the practices and picks the plays
  • Cornerback Fast defender who shadows the widest opponents
  • Defense Unit on the field when the other team has the ball
  • Fullback Powerful runner who often clears the way for another
  • Guard Protector's position whose name also means a security officer
  • Halfback Main ball carrier, by an old-fashioned name
  • Kicker Specialist who boots the ball through the poles
  • Linebacker Defender who lines up a few steps behind the front wall
  • Lineman Big player who battles in the trenches
  • Lineup List of who plays where
  • Offense Side that has the ball
  • Official Person in a striped shirt who enforces the rules
  • Quarterback Signal caller who throws most of the long balls
  • Receiver Speedy player whose job is to haul in throws
  • Rookie Newcomer playing a debut season
  • Roster Full list of everyone on the team
  • Rusher Defender charging at the thrower, or anyone carrying the ball
  • Safety Deepest defender, or a two-point score
  • Scout Person who watches games to find talent
  • Squad Every player in the locker room, as a group
  • Starter Player on the field for the first play
  • Tailback Ball carrier who lines up deepest behind the line
  • Tight end Position that both protects the thrower and hauls in throws
  • Trainer Staff member who tapes ankles and tends to bumps
  • Wideout Slang for a speedy target split far out from the line

Plays 33

  • Audible Change of plan shouted at the line
  • Blitz Surprise charge by extra defenders
  • Block To legally get in a defender's way
  • Cadence Rhythm of the words called out before the ball moves
  • Catch Reception, in simpler terms
  • Dive Straight-ahead plunge into the line
  • Drive String of plays that moves the ball up the field
  • Fake Pretend move meant to fool the other side
  • Formation How the eleven players line up before the ball moves
  • Fumble Ball dropped by the player carrying it
  • Handoff Ball placed straight into a runner's arms
  • Huddle Players bunch up in this to hear the call
  • Interception Throw grabbed by the wrong team
  • Juke Quick sidestep that leaves a defender grasping at air
  • Kickoff Boot off a rubber prop that opens each half
  • Kneel What the thrower does to let the clock run out
  • Lateral Throw that travels sideways or backward
  • Pitch Underhand toss to a runner heading wide
  • Playbook Thick folder of diagrams drawn with Xs and Os
  • Punt Kick out of the hands, usually on the last try
  • Return Dash upfield after fielding a kick
  • Reverse Trick in which the ball changes direction behind the line
  • Route Planned path that a pass catcher runs
  • Sack Takedown of the passer before the ball is thrown
  • Scramble Thrower's dash away from trouble
  • Screen Short, soft throw behind a wall of protectors
  • Slant Diagonal path cut toward the middle of the field
  • Snap Quick backward handover that starts most plays
  • Sneak Thrower's short plunge straight ahead for a few inches
  • Spiral Tight spin on a perfect throw
  • Sweep Running play that curves around the end of the line
  • Tackle Stop a runner by wrapping both arms around him
  • Turnover Losing the ball to the opponent in any way

Gear 25

  • Chinstrap Buckled band that keeps headgear from flying off
  • Cleats Studded footwear that keeps a runner from slipping
  • Clipboard Flat board with a spring clasp, carried by the staff
  • Decal Sticker on the side of the headgear
  • Duffel Big soft bag for carrying equipment
  • Eye black Dark streak under each eye that cuts the shine of the sun
  • Facemask Cage that shields a player's nose and jaw
  • Flag Yellow cloth thrown when a rule is broken
  • Gloves Sticky-palmed hand coverings
  • Headset Earphones and a microphone linking the staff
  • Helmet Protective headgear with a padded lining
  • Jersey Numbered shirt
  • Kneepad Cushion sewn into the leg of the pants
  • Laces White stitches where a thrower's fingers grip
  • Megaphone Cone-shaped voice booster carried by cheerleaders
  • Mouthguard Soft shield clenched between the teeth
  • Pads Cushions worn on the shoulders, hips and thighs
  • Pigskin Old nickname for the ball
  • Pompom Fluffy ball of streamers shaken during a cheer
  • Socks They are pulled up to the knee
  • Stopwatch Handheld timer for the 40-yard dash
  • Sweatband Stretchy terry cloth loop worn on the arm or forehead
  • Uniform Team colors from shoulders to shoes
  • Whistle It ends the play with a shrill blast
  • Wristband Forearm sleeve that holds a list of plays

Scoring and Rules 33

  • Blowout Very lopsided win
  • Bye Open date, when a team rests instead of playing
  • Challenge Formal request to have a ruling looked at again
  • Clipping Illegal hit from behind, below the waist
  • Coin toss Heads-or-tails flip that decides who gets the ball first
  • Comeback Rally from far behind to win
  • Completion Throw that reaches a teammate's hands
  • Conversion Bonus try for one or two points after a six-pointer
  • Down A team gets four of these to move ten yards
  • Field goal Three points, earned with the foot
  • Gain Yards picked up on a play
  • Halftime Break in the middle, when the band marches
  • Holding Foul for grabbing an opponent who does not have the ball
  • Inbounds Still within the white borders
  • Incomplete Like a throw that hits the ground
  • Offside Foul for being across the line before the ball moves
  • Opener Game number one on the schedule
  • Overtime Added play after the fourth period ends all square
  • Penalty Punishment, measured in yards, for breaking a rule
  • Playoffs Win-or-go-home games after the regular season
  • Possession Having the ball
  • Quarter Period of play; a game has four
  • Replay Second look at a play on video
  • Rivalry Yearly matchup that both towns circle on the calendar
  • Shutout Final score with a zero on one side
  • Standings Table that ranks every team by wins and losses
  • Tie Game that ends with the score even
  • Timeout Short pause a team may call to stop the clock
  • Touchback Kick that comes to rest in the scoring area and is not run out
  • Touchdown Six-point score
  • Underdog Team that few expect to win
  • Upset Surprise win by the team expected to lose
  • Victory A win, in seven letters

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site about American football itself: the field, the positions, the plays, the gear, and scoring and rules. Every answer is an entry in Wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org), and each rule in a clue was checked against English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0) in October 2026. No league, team, player, stadium or trophy is named, and rules that differ from league to league were left out. No clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

These football crossword puzzles are printable criss-cross grids about the game itself: the field, positions, plays, gear and scoring. No league, team or player is named in any clue.

Read the full guide

A football crossword for kids, then five sets

Short Football Words opens the page with answers of up to 5 letters: Snap, Punt, Blitz, Turf. The Field has Gridiron, Pylon and Crossbar. Positions has Linebacker and Wideout. Plays has Lateral, Audible and Interception. Gear has Chinstrap and Pigskin. Scoring and Rules has Touchback, Clipping and Shutout.

The rules behind the clues

Clues follow the eleven-player game that high schools, colleges and professionals play: six points for a touchdown, three for a field goal, four downs to move ten yards. Rules that change from league to league were left out.

  • New puzzle redraws the grid from the same set, so two tables can work on different puzzles.

Questions and answers

Is this football crossword printable for kids who are new to the game?

Yes. Short Football Words keeps answers to 5 letters or fewer and prints a word bank under the clues. Take clues away with the cross beside each until 6 are left, for the smallest grid.

Are team names or players in the football crossword puzzles?

No. Every answer is a plain football word, such as Huddle, Kicker or Halftime. No league, team, player, stadium name or trophy is in the bank.

Is it American football or soccer?

American football. The field in the clues is 100 yards long with an end zone at each end, and a touchdown is worth six points. Soccer words are on the sports crossword.

Is there an answer key for the football crossword?

Yes. The key prints as the last sheet, and the line beside Print gives the page count. Show all clues and answers, under the puzzle, lists the whole bank.

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