Joanna

In American football, a reception is part of a passing play. Informally, it is better known as a catch. In a passing play, the player receives a forward pass that the quarterback has thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. After receiving it, the player carries the football, running towards the opposing end zone.

Running toward the opposing end zone can end in two ways – the player will successfully reach the end zone and score a touchdown or be forced out of bounds by the opposing players.

If no one catches a forward pass, it’s an incomplete pass or an “incompletion.” If an opposing player catches the pass, it is called an interception.

Read Next: What Is a Sack In Football?

In American football, a sack occurs when a quarterback (or another player acting in a passer capacity) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is running out of bounds under defensive pressure, or when the quarterback gets tackled in a “pocket.”

For it to be considered a sack, the passer must have the intent of throwing the forward pass.

Sacks can be game-changers, shifting the momentum in favor of the defense. When the opposing team’s defenders successfully apply “pass pressure” to get past the quarterback’s blockers, a sack can occur. This can lead to the quarterback fumbling the football behind the line of scrimmage, potentially resulting in a turnover if the defense obtains the ball or the offense loses a down and the line of scrimmage is retreated several yards.

Read Next: What Is Blitzing In Football?

In American football, blitzing is a tactic the defense uses to disrupt the offense’s pass attempts. During a blitz, the defense sends five or more players to attack the offense’s ball carrier by either rushing them in a pass attempt or tackling them, disrupting the offense. 

A blitz is considered successful when it leads to a sack, a play in which the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, or forces the quarterback to make an error (fumble or interception) in a pass attempt, potentially resulting in a turnover.

Blitzing is a high-risk defense technique. At a minimum, five defenders are sent to rush the player with the football, leaving the defensive backs to cover all the offense players, which is impossible. That is considered the biggest disadvantage of a blitz.

If the quarterback sees that they alone cannot play against the blitz and their position is weak, they can call more players into a protection scheme. With a good protection scheme, players can “pick up” the blitz and stop it at the point of attack.