A safety is a scoring play in American football that happens when the offensive team is tackled in their own end zone or commits a penalty there. The defensive team receives two points for a safety and receives a free kick to regain possession of the ball. Football safeties are somewhat uncommon because they call for the offensive team to be backed up close to their own goal line and commit an error that costs them yards or resulting in a penalty in the end zone. However, safeties may be an important play in close games since they provide a team another way to score scores and can change the game’s momentum in their favor.
