Two-point conversion

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A famous two-point conversion in an NFL game between the Buccaneers and Redskins

In American football and Canadian football, a team may try to score a two-point conversion (score two points) instead of an extra point (one point) immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run a play from close to the opponent's goal line (5-yard line in Canadian, 3-yard line in amateur American, 2-yard line in professional American) and advance the ball across the goal line as if it were a normal touchdown. If the team succeeds, it earns two additional points on top of the six points for the touchdown.

The two point conversion rule has been a rule of college football since 1958 and more recently in Canadian amateur football and the Canadian Football League, and was used by the American Football League during its existence, but the National Football League did not adopt it until 1994, although its developmental league, the WLAF, had used it since its inception.

In American college and Canadian football, an intercepted two-point attempt, or one otherwise recovered by the defense, can be returned to the other end zone to give the defensive team two points. The team that scored the touchdown then kicks off as normal. Although rare because of the infrequent use of the two-point conversion and because of the difficulty in returning the ball the full length of the field, this has proven the winning margin in football games. The NFL and the National Federation of State High School Associations do not allow this, and a two-point attempt resulting in recovery of the ball by the defense is merely 'no good', although it can, on rare occasions, result in a one-point safety.