What is the difference between a touchback and a safety?

Answer 1

A touchback occurs when a change of possession of the football occurs, and the ball is not advanced beyond the end zone of the receiving team. Typically, a punt or kickoff is fielded inside the end zone, and the receiving team player decides it is advantageous to take a touchback, as opposed to trying to run the ball out of the end zone. The result of a touchback is that the receiving team receives the ball first and ten yards to go on their own 20 yard line.

If a defensive team intercepts or recovers a fumble inside their own end zone, and again, the player who has possession of the ball does not advance beyond the end zone, this again results in a touchback.

A safety happens when the team in possession of the ball begins a play in the field, and is tackled within their own end zone as a result of their own backward movement. This typically occurs when the offense is deep in their own territory (for example, on their own one yard line), and a quarterback takes the snap and goes back into the end zone to pass, but is tackled (i.e., "sacked") in the end zone. A safety might also occur if a running back is handed the ball in the end zone, and is tackled before moving the ball outside the end zone.

A more rare occurrence of a safety occurs when a returner of a kick or fumble or interception retreats voluntarily into the end zone, and is tackled in the end zone before advancing again beyond the goal line.

A safety is also scored if the team in possession steps out of bounds from inside the end zone with the ball, fumbles the ball out of play through the end zone, or commits a penalty in the end zone during a play. Teams will also rarely take a deliberate safety, by intentionally killing the ball in their own end zone. This is usually done late in a game, when the team taking the safety leads by a narrow margin and doesn't want to risk giving up a touchdown on a blocked punt or bad snap. On fourth down in a case like this, the punter may run around in the end zone, eating up as much of the clock as he can, before stepping out of bounds. His team gives up 2 points but then gets an uncontested free kick that the defense can't rush or attempt to block. The result of a safety is 2 points for the defensive team, plus the team that was in possession of the ball must punt or kick the ball to the other team from their own 20 yard line.