Scoring

As is the case with any sport, scoring is what dictates how you play the game.  In basketball, the only reason to shoot a really long shot, is because it is worth 3 points.  If it was only worth 1, nobody would take that shot.  In football, the scoring is very unique, and it causes so many strategic moves by teams during the course of a game. Although the concept of football is pretty simple....(move the ball all the way down the field) the different elements of scoring make teams calculate risk in a way that few other sports do.  In order to understand and enjoy football, you must understand the scoring, and the risk that a team takes to achieve this scoring.
      In modern football at all levels (little league to pro), teams can score 1, 2, 3, or 6 points on a play.  However, those points amounts are only available to score in certain situations throughout the game.  Because of this scoring structure, football games can have a variety of different scores, and near the end of the game, various scenarios for a losing team to come back and tie or win.  Here we go!
      The most desirable result for any football play is a Touchdown.  A touchdown occurs when a player crosses over the goal line with possession of the ball.  This also includes catching the ball once you are already past the goal line, or in the End Zone.  Each team has an End Zone that they protect, and they try to advance the ball into the other teams' End Zone.  On the most basic level, protecting your End Zone, and advancing into the opponents' End Zone are the two competing interests of football.
     After a Touchdown, the scoring team is always rewarded with one more play to add to the score.  They can chose an "Extra Point" kick, or a "Two Point Conversion".  In each situation, it is one play, and after the play is over, the scoring team will return the ball to the other team and begin playing defense.  Most of the time, a team will chose an "Extra Point" kick after a touchdown.  These kicks are so easy, and almost never missed, unless in a very high pressure situation.  Because of the frequency that teams elect to kick an Extra Point after a 6-point Touchdown, many fans mistakenly think that a Touchdown is actually worth 7 points.  In all reality, it almost is.  If the Colts are down 14 points, it is very logical (and correct) to say that they are down by 2 Touchdowns.  Technically, they are down by 2 Touchdowns, and the Extra Points that are virtually automatic after each Touchdown.  The other option for the team that scores a Touchdown is a "2 Point Conversion".  For this score, the teams line up 2 yards away from the goal line, just like a normal football play.  The execution of this play is exactly like they are trying to score another Touchdown, but this play is only worth 2 points.  Although this is rarely chosen, the 2 Point Conversion can really put a wrinkle in the strategy for the remainder of a game.
     Although the Touchdown is the ultimate score, another common form of scoring is the Field Goal.  A Field Goal is a kick through the uprights, and is worth 3 points.  Unlike an Extra Point after a Touchdown, Field Goals can be kicked from various distances all over the field, and are usually the result of a team stalling in their attempt for a touchdown.  More on this later....
     The final way to score in football is called a Safety.  This is so rare, that when it happens, coaches and quarterbacks lose their jobs.  In today's modern NFL, a Safety is pretty much the result of a completely inept offense.  A Safety occurs when a team has the ball, and is backed up against their own goal line.  On the play, a player with the ball will go backwards into his own End Zone and get tackled.  This is basically the opposite of scoring a touchdown.  When this happens, the team that was on defense gets 2 points, and then also receives the ball to start their own offensive scoring drive.
      So as you can see, football teams can score 6 points, then 1 or 2.  They can score 3 points when they sense that they will be unable to score 6.  And in rare occasions, your defense can give you 2 points. Between these scores, are all of the plays that coaches call to advance the ball up and down the field, or to protect their own End Zone and not give up any more scores.  And, depending on the overall score, the momentum of the game, and where you are on the field, each type of play is chosen based on the risk of gaining a score, or giving up more points.