Fourth down explained: punt, kick or go for it, what the rules say and how often teams now go
Fourth down forces a choice: punt, kick a field goal or go for it. Here is what the 2026 rulebook says happens after each, from fumbles to offside, and how the share of fourth downs that teams go for rose from 11.9% in 2013 to 23.3% in 2025.
On September 14, 2026, the Chiefs led the Broncos 14-7 in the third quarter and had fourth-and-1 at their own 40-yard line. The drive had started with a run for no gain, and a 3-yard scramble and a 6-yard pass left Kansas City one yard short. The Chiefs did not punt. They sent Kenneth Walker III around the left end, and he ran 60 yards for a touchdown on the way to a 31-10 win.
Fourth down is the last of the four downs an offense gets to move the ball 10 yards. It forces a choice that no other down does: keep the ball and risk giving the other team a short field, or give up the ball on purpose. This guide covers the three options, what the 2026 rulebook says happens next, and how the league’s choices have changed since 2013.
The three choices
Punt. The offense kicks the ball away and the other team starts where the ball is caught or becomes dead. It is the safe choice, and it gives the ball up for sure.
Kick a field goal. A made kick is worth three points. The holder lines up at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, so a kick from the opponent’s 33-yard line is a 50-yard attempt: 33 yards to the goal line, plus 10 yards of end zone, plus seven yards behind the line.
Go for it. The offense runs a normal play and tries to reach the line to gain. If it does, it gets a new set of four downs. If it does not, the ball goes to the defense where the play ended.
What the rulebook says happens next
To keep the ball after a fourth-down play, the offense has to reach the line to gain, or draw a flag that gives it a first down. The 2026 playing rules list failing to do that as a change of possession, in the same group as an interception or a missed field goal. Most of what is special about fourth down comes from that rule: there is no fifth down, so a mistake that would be harmless on second down can end the drive.
| On fourth down | What happens |
|---|---|
| The offense is stopped short, or a pass falls incomplete | The defense takes over. After a run or a completed pass, it starts where the ball was ruled dead; after an incomplete pass, the ball returns to the previous spot and the other team starts there. |
| The offense fumbles | Only the player who fumbled may recover and advance the ball for the offense. If a teammate recovers it first, the ball is dead and the next snap is at the spot of the fumble, or the spot of the recovery if that is farther back. Any defender may recover it and run with it. |
| The offense is flagged for a loss-of-down foul, such as intentional grounding | The offense loses the down and the yardage, and the other team gets the ball. A combination penalty on fourth down also takes the yards. |
| The offense is flagged for a foul without a loss of down, such as a false start | The yardage is enforced and fourth down is replayed. A false start on fourth-and-1 makes it fourth-and-6. |
| The defense jumps offside before the snap | Five yards, and the down stays the same unless the penalty reaches the line to gain. On fourth-and-1 that is a first down. On fourth-and-10 it is fourth-and-5. |
| The defense holds, uses illegal contact or roughs the passer | An automatic first down, no matter how far short the play ended. |
| A field goal try is missed | The ball goes to the other team at the spot of the kick, which is usually about seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. If the kick was from inside the receivers’ 20-yard line, they start at the 20. |
The fumble rule is the one fans notice least. A fumble on fourth down, like one after the two-minute warning or on a try, cannot be recovered and advanced by a different offensive player. The spot of a fourth-down fumble can also be reviewed. Our guide to NFL fumble rules covers recoveries on every other down, and the challenge and replay guide explains what coaches can ask the officials to look at.
A missed field goal can cost more than a failed fourth down. Unless the kick is from inside the receivers’ 20-yard line, the defense gets the ball at the spot of the kick, not at the line of scrimmage, so a miss gives the other team about seven more yards of field than a stop would have.
A short fourth down in Denver
The spot of the ball matters on fourth-and-1. On October 11, 2026, the Broncos were at the Chargers and faced fourth-and-1 from their own 44-yard line in the second quarter. Bo Nix ran up the middle for a yard, and the officials ruled it a first down. The Chargers challenged the ruling, the call stood, and Los Angeles was charged a timeout. Denver kept the drive going and won 23-17.
The failed version happened a week earlier in Philadelphia. On October 4, the Eagles led the Rams 20-10 in the third quarter and had fourth-and-1 at their own 38. Jalen Hurts ran up the middle for no gain, and Los Angeles took over at the Philadelphia 38. The Rams were stopped on a fourth-and-8 at the Philadelphia 36 early in the fourth quarter, so the stop gave the Rams a short field but no points on that possession. Los Angeles still came back to win 24-20.
How often teams go for it now
The official play-by-play shows how much has changed. In the 2013 regular season, teams went for it on 11.9% of fourth downs. In 2025 the share was 23.3%. That is nearly twice as often, and punts fell from 9.9 per game in 2013 to 7.1 in 2025.
| 2013 season | 2025 season | 2026, Weeks 1-6 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 256 | 272 | 93 |
| Fourth-down plays counted | 3,926 | 3,793 | 1,326 |
| Punts | 2,526 | 1,933 | 718 |
| Field goal tries | 932 | 978 | 355 |
| Went for it | 468 (11.9%) | 882 (23.3%) | 253 (19.1%) |
| Went for it, per game | 1.8 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| Converted | 225 (48.1%) | 489 (55.4%) | 132 (52.2%) |
Through six weeks of 2026, teams are going for it a little less than at the same point last year: 19.1% of fourth downs, compared with 20.9% in the first six weeks of 2025. They are also converting less, 52.2% against 60.6% in that window, and the Chargers have converted only 2 of their 11 tries. Chicago leads the league with 15 attempts and eight conversions, followed by Indianapolis with 14 and New Orleans with 13. Last season the Jets had 41 fourth-down tries, the most in the league, and Carolina converted 27 of 39, or 69.2%.
Where the biggest changes happened
The jump in aggression is not spread evenly. It is concentrated on short fourth downs. In 2013 teams went for it on 41.0% of fourth-and-1 plays. In 2025 they did so 76.3% of the time, and they converted at about the same rate, 63.9% in 2013 and 65.8% in 2025. Fourth-and-2 went from 15.4% to 43.6%, and fourth-and-3 or 4 from 11.6% to 29.6%.
| Yards to go | 2013: went for it | 2013: converted | 2025: went for it | 2025: converted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41.0% of 466 | 63.9% | 76.3% of 472 | 65.8% |
| 2 | 15.4% of 305 | 61.7% | 43.6% of 289 | 64.3% |
| 3-4 | 11.6% of 594 | 43.5% | 29.6% of 591 | 55.4% |
| 5-9 | 6.7% of 1,272 | 32.9% | 10.7% of 1,262 | 37.0% |
| 10 or more | 5.9% of 1,289 | 21.1% | 7.3% of 1,179 | 27.9% |
Field position tells the same story. In 2013 teams went for it on 4.7% of fourth downs from their own 34-yard line or deeper, and in 2025 on 7.3%. Between their own 49 and 35, the share went from 8.2% to 19.2%. From the opponent’s 50 to the 36 it went from 18.1% to 37.5%. Inside the opponent’s 10, the rate went from 26.4% to 47.3%.
| Ball position | 2013: went for it | 2025: went for it |
|---|---|---|
| Own 34 or deeper | 4.7% | 7.3% |
| Own 49 to own 35 | 8.2% | 19.2% |
| Opponent’s 50 to 36 | 18.1% | 37.5% |
| Opponent’s 35 to 21 | 20.0% | 26.8% |
| Opponent’s 20 to 11 | 14.7% | 23.0% |
| Opponent’s 10 or closer | 26.4% | 47.3% |
Kicking has changed in another way. Field goal accuracy barely moved, from 87.2% in 2013 to 86.1% in 2025, but teams now try more long ones. Kicks of 50 yards or more went from 127 attempts to 230, and the success rate was nearly the same, 69.3% then and 70.0% last season.
Why coaches still punt
A punt is not wasted yards. In 2025 a punt traveled 47.1 yards on average, and returners took back 4.4 yards per punt. A fourth-down try that fails moves the ball zero yards and hands the other team the field at that spot. That is why teams still punt from deep in their own territory, where only 7.3% of fourth downs were tries in 2025.
The biggest change has not come when teams are desperate. In the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, trailing teams went for it on 69.8% of fourth downs in 2013 and 71.1% in 2025. Teams that were tied or ahead in those minutes have changed more: leading teams went from 11.0% to 20.3%, and tied teams from 3.2% to 13.5%.
The rulebook also gives the offense ways to shorten the distance. A team can take a delay-of-game penalty on purpose to back up five yards and punt from there, and the delay-of-game guide explains why teams do that. The timeout guide covers the clock rules that shape late-half decisions.
Fourth-down games on WhyNFL
Two of our history posts are built on fourth-down decisions. On November 15, 2009, Bill Belichick went for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 and the Colts won 35-34. On November 12, 2023, Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-2 instead of kicking, and the Lions beat the Chargers 41-38. You can also watch the ending of Chiefs-Broncos on fourth-and-goal from Week 8.
What to watch for
- Fourth-and-1 between the 35-yard lines? In 2025 teams went for it on 83.1% of them, up from 48.3% in 2013.
- Offense behind late? About 70% of fourth downs in the last five minutes were tries in both 2013 and 2025.
- A false start on fourth down? The down is replayed, and the distance gets longer, so the coach has to decide again.
- A fumble on a fourth-down play? Only the fumbler can advance it for his team, and a teammate’s recovery ends the play.
- Defender offside before the snap? On a short fourth down it is often enough for a first down.
- A field goal from 50 or more? A miss gives the other team the ball at the spot of the kick, seven yards behind where the line of scrimmage was.
The 2026 NFL playing rules are the source for the rules above, and the official play-by-play is the source for the 2013, 2025 and 2026 data. The 2026 numbers cover games through October 19 and will change as the season continues. Related WhyNFL reading: Where NFL penalties are enforced, The Try and Kneel-down and victory formation.
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