During an American football game, fans will often hear the phrase "first and ten" uttered by commentators when a team's offense is in possession.
But what does the term mean? DAZN explains below.
What does 1st and 10 mean?
The phrase "first and ten" is used when a team's offense has possession of the ball.
In a game of American football, the offense has four chances, also known as four downs, to move the ball 10 yards before the opposition is given the ball.
If the the offense manages the move the ball 10 yards within those four downs, everything resets, and the offense has another set of downs to advance a further 10 yards.
Therefore the phrase "first and ten" means that it is currently a first down and the team in possession needs to move 10 yards to keep the ball.
What does 1st and goal mean?
If the offense continues to progress down the field and finds themselves less than 10 yards away from the opposition's goal line, the situation is then deemed a "first and goal".
This means that the offense now has four chances to reach the opposition's end zone before either surrendering possession of the ball or kicking a field goal.