NFL FLAG rules, rule by rule
NFL FLAG is 5v5. The field is 70 yards long and 30 across. You get 4 downs to cross midfield, then 3 more to score. Each drive has 2 no-run zones. Up to 2 rushers start 7 yards back. A league game ends when one team leads by 35, or 28 in tournaments.
SoCal Fire Elite 0, Lakeview Lady Hawks 01st half4th & 3 to midfieldBall on own 22
Example: NFL FLAG 5v5, girls' youth, NFL FLAG tournament
SoCal Fire Elite faced 4th down at its own 22, 3 yards short of midfield. A 7-yard pass got them across.
In NFL FLAG, crossing midfield earns a new set of 3 downs to score. They scored on the 3rd one.
Watch: Logging a flag pull (0:44)SoCal Fire Elite 6, Lakeview Lady Hawks 01st half5 (1-point try)Ball on opp 5
Example: NFL FLAG 5v5, girls' youth, NFL FLAG tournament
After the game's first touchdown, SoCal Fire Elite chose the 1-point try. It was good, making it 7-0.
In NFL FLAG, the 1-point try starts at the 5 and must be a pass. The 2-point try starts at the 10.
Watch: Logging a flag pull (0:44)Many youth leagues and tournaments play these rules. Learn them before your first practice.
Stat this rulesetNew to coaching? Start with the coaching guides
Updated · cited to the official rulebooks · Compare every ruleset
Every NFL FLAG 5v5 penalty, with yards
NFL FLAG 5v5, rule by rule
The NFL FLAG rulebook covers league and tournament play. Each has its own clock and mercy rule. Every drive has 2 no-run zones: one before midfield and one before the goal line. Up to 2 rushers come from a 7-yard rush line. The field size and league half lengths come from NFL FLAG's rules web page. That page is newer than the rulebook and differs on both.
Field and players
- Players on the field
5 a side. The rulebook never states a count, but its rules talk about 5 eligible players. NFL FLAG's rules page allows up to 10 on a roster.
- Field size
30 x 70 yards. That includes two 10-yard end zones. The line to gain is at midfield.
- No-run zones
2 on every drive: the 5 yards before midfield and the 5 yards before the goal line. No running plays across the line there. League play skips them for 8U and younger.
Possession
- Starting the game
Coin toss, and the visitor calls it. The winner picks offense or defense. The loser picks the direction. The winner can't save its pick for later. Start at your own 5. No kickoff.
- Downs and first downs
4 downs to cross midfield. Then 3 downs to score.
- Turnover on downs
Short of midfield on 4th down, the other team takes over at that spot. Past midfield without a score, the other team starts at its own 5.
- Punts
No kicking. On 4th down (or 3rd) the coach calls punt or play. A punt gives the other team the ball at its own 5.
Scoring
- Touchdown and extra point
Touchdown: 6. The try after it: 1 point from the 5 (pass only) or 2 from the 10 (run or pass). You call your choice. Changing it costs a timeout.
- Safety
2 points. It happens when the ball carrier is downed in the end zone they defend. A snap that lands there counts too. The rulebook does not say how play restarts.
- Touchback
Not found in the rulebook, so this is left blank.
- Interceptions
Yes, you can run them back. A return touchdown is 6 during regular play. It is 2 on a try or in overtime. A backward pass behind the line can be picked off and run back too.
NFL FLAG §VII.3; §XII.4NFL FLAG changes #4NFL FLAG rules page
Plays
- Fumbles
The play ends where the ball hits the ground.
- Handoffs, laterals and forward passes
Handoffs, pitches and laterals only behind the line. One forward pass. It must start behind the line and cross it. The quarterback can't run with the snap. No center sneak.
- Rushing the passer and sacks
Up to 2 rushers, each with a hand raised. They start at the 7-yard rush line. Anyone may rush after a handoff or pitch. The passer has 7 seconds. A sack is pulling the quarterback's flag behind the line. No rushing in league play for 8U and younger.
- Flag guarding
It means blocking a flag pull. That covers a stiff arm, or dropping your shoulder, arm, hand, head or the ball in the way. A jersey over the flags counts too. Penalty: 5 yards and the down.
- Diving and jumping
No jumping, leaping or hurdling. The ball is spotted where you left the ground. Spins and jump cuts are fine. Defenders may dive to pull a flag or make a catch.
- Blocking, screening and contact
No blocking or screening. No holding the ball carrier or running through them.
- Pass interference
On the defense: the ball moves to where the foul happened, plus a first down. On the offense: 5 yards and the down.
Clock and game
- Game length and clock
League: two halves of 15 to 25 minutes, set by the league. The clock stops only for injuries, halftime and timeouts. Each team gets one timeout per half, 60 seconds long. Play clock: 40 seconds. Tournament: two 12-minute halves on a running clock. Play clock: 25 seconds. Three 30-second timeouts a game.
- Overtime
Played in rounds. Round 1: one play each. Go for 1 from the 5 or 2 from the 10. Round 2: you must go for 2. Round 3 on: one play from your own 5, and most yards wins. An interception return is worth 2 and ends round 1 or 2.
- Mercy rule
League: the game ends at a 35-point lead. Tournament: 28.
NFL FLAG One-Way Field
A version of NFL FLAG 5v5, from the same rulebook. Play runs one way, and every drive starts at the 40. There are no safeties. An interception ends the play at the catch. The ball never starts further back than the 40. Everything else follows the 5v5 rules.
Field and players
- Field size
The rulebook gives no size. Play runs one way: goal line to midfield to goal line.
Possession
- Starting the game
Every drive starts at the 40-yard line.
- Turnover on downs
The ball never starts further back than the 40.
- Punts
Once you call a punt, you can't change it.
Scoring
- Safety
No safeties. The other team gets the ball at the 40.
- Touchback
Not found in the rulebook, so this is left blank.
- Interceptions
The play ends at the catch. The ball goes to the 40.
Stat it in BreakAway
From 5v5 and 7v7 to NFL FLAG and your own house rules, if you play it, BreakAway can stat it. See how rulesets work
- BreakAway U lesson · 0:44Logging a flag pullCredit the defender
- BreakAway U lesson · 0:41Logging a sackFind it under Other
- BreakAway U lesson · 0:31Turning it over on downsShort on 4th? It flips
- BreakAway U lesson · 0:26Punting on 4th downOne tap on 4th down
- BreakAway U guideHow to stat a flag football game
Who it's for
- Coaches & Teams: Stat your own games, free
- Families: Follow every game, get recruited
In the glossary
Pick your ruleset. Stat the game.
Start from a curated list of presets. Change any rule for your team, league or tournament. Field and downs, how the game's organized, scoring, punts and turnovers, overtime. Saved to your team for the next game. Tap to use it and you're ready to stat. Real stats, generated as you go.
A completed pass, logged in seconds.
Questions.
5v5. The rules talk about 5 eligible players. NFL FLAG's rules page lets a roster have up to 10.
It is a version of NFL FLAG where play runs one way. Possession starts at the 40. There are no safeties. An interception ends the play right at the catch. Everything else follows the 5v5 rules.
Related rules
- USA Flag 7's rules, explained
- High school flag football rules (NFHS)
- IFAF flag football rules, explained
- College flag football rules
- USA Flag 5's rules, explained
- Every rule, every ruleset, side by side
Official rulebooks
- NFL FLAG Official Playing RulesRevised March 24, 2025. Free from the publisher.
Sources cited on this page
- NFL FLAG Official Playing Rules (NFL FLAG, Revised March 24, 2025)
- NFL FLAG Flag Football Rules (NFL FLAG rules page, Web page, as of October 6, 2026)
- NFL FLAG Important Rule Changes (NFL FLAG changes, Effective fall 2024 league and tournament seasons)