GlossaryAmerican football (NFL)
Down & distance ('3rd & 7')
'3rd & 7' means it's third down with 7 yards to go for a new set of downs; an offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards or it turns the ball over.
The offense has four attempts (downs) to advance 10 yards. Gain them and the count resets to 1st & 10. The down-and-distance tells you the situation at a glance: 3rd & long usually means a pass is coming; 4th down often means a punt or field-goal attempt rather than risking a turnover on downs.
Worked example: 1st & 10 → a 4-yard gain makes it 2nd & 6.
See it in the numbers
Open the spreadsheet and watch this appear in live scores and standings — disguised as work.
Related terms
How NFL playoff seeding works
Each conference sends seven teams to the playoffs — the four division winners (seeded 1–4 by record) and three wild cards (5–7); the No. 1 seed gets a first-round bye.
How to read a league table
A league table ranks teams by points; the columns to its right show how those points were earned — games played, wins, draws, losses, goals for and against, and goal difference.
How points work (3-1-0)
In most football leagues a win is worth 3 points, a draw 1 and a loss 0; the team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title.
Form (the W-D-L run)
Form is a team's recent results shown as a short string of letters — W for a win, D for a draw, L for a loss — usually the last five games, most recent last.