Football fans are familiar with touchdowns, field goals, and safeties, but there’s one scoring play so rare that many have never seen it happen: the one-point safety. While common safeties award two points, this obscure rule makes it possible for a team to score just a single point.

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What Is the One-Point Safety?

The one-point safety can only occur during a point after touchdown (PAT) or a two-point conversion attempt. In normal situations, the offense earns one point for a successful kick or two points for a conversion. But if the defense gains possession during the play and then somehow ends up causing a safety in its own end zone, the result is a single point awarded to the offense.

It’s the only time in football where exactly one point can be scored independently of the standard extra-point kick.

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How Does It Work in Practice?

The mechanics are straightforward, but the sequence is highly unlikely:

• A team attempts an extra point or two-point conversion.
• The defense recovers the ball and tries to advance it.
• The play ends with the defense tackled in its own end zone or committing a penalty that results in a safety.

When this happens, instead of the usual outcomes of a conversion, the offense is credited with one point.

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Why It’s So Rare

The reason the one-point safety is almost mythical in the NFL comes down to probability. Most conversion plays either succeed quickly or are stopped without much yardage. For the defense to not only take possession but also backtrack into its own end zone is extraordinarily unlikely.

While the rule is part of the NFL’s official scoring system, a true one-point safety has never happened in an NFL game.

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College Football Examples

Though the NFL has yet to see this rare play, college football has offered a few glimpses. The most famous came during the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, when Oregon scored a one-point safety after Kansas State’s defense was penalized in the end zone during a blocked PAT. These rare moments immediately make headlines because of how unusual they are.

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Why the Rule Exists

The NFL’s rulebook includes the one-point safety to cover every potential situation during conversions. Without it, certain plays would lead to ambiguity about what score should be awarded. Even if it’s unlikely to ever appear in a professional game, its presence ensures that no outcome is left unaddressed.

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Key Takeaways

The NFL one-point safety rule is a reminder of just how detailed football’s rulebook is. While it has never been used in the league, the possibility remains—at least on paper. For fans, it’s an intriguing piece of trivia and an example of how the game accounts for every imaginable play, no matter how improbable.