After 4th down in American football, one of two basic things happens: either the offense earns a new first down and keeps the ball, or they lose the ball and the other team takes over on offense at the end of the play.

What is “4th down” in simple terms?

A team has up to four “downs” (plays) to move the ball at least 10 yards.

If they gain those 10+ yards, the count resets to 1st down and they get a fresh set of four chances.

So 4th down is basically:

  • The last regular chance to reach the first-down line.
  • The moment when the team must choose: risk going for it, or kick the ball away / kick for points.

What happens during 4th down?

On 4th down, the offense usually chooses one of three options.

  1. Go for it (run or pass a play)
    • If they gain enough yards for a first down, they keep the ball and it becomes 1st down again at the new spot.
 * If they fail, the play ends and the other team takes possession where the ball is spotted (a “turnover on downs”).
  1. Punt the ball
    • A special kicker (the punter) kicks the ball downfield to the other team.
 * The receiving team becomes the offense and starts their drive from wherever they catch or recover the ball (or where it rolls dead).

 * This is often used when it’s 4th down and long and the team is too far to try a field goal; it “sacrifices” the ball but pushes the opponent far back.
  1. Kick a field goal
    • They attempt to kick the ball through the uprights for 3 points.
 * If the kick is good, they get 3 points and then kick off to the other team, who starts a new drive.

 * If the kick is missed, the other team takes over around the spot of the kick or line of scrimmage, depending on the league’s rules.

So what exactly happens after 4th down?

Think of “after 4th down” as: what’s true when that one play is over.

If they went for it and made it

  • Result: New 1st down for the same team.
  • The chains move, the down resets to 1st & 10 (or 1st and whatever distance is left to the goal line).

If they went for it and failed

  • Result: Turnover on downs.
  • The other team gets the ball at the spot where the previous play ended.
  • Now it’s that new team’s 1st down.

If they punted

  • Result: Other team gets the ball, but much farther down the field.
  • Where the ball is caught, downed, or goes out of bounds determines the new offense’s starting spot.

If they kicked a field goal

  • Good kick:
    • Offense gets 3 points and then must kick off to the other team, who starts a new drive.
  • Missed kick:
    • No points; the other team gets the ball, usually near where the kick was attempted.

Why is 4th down a big deal?

Fans talk about 4th-down decisions a lot because they’re high-risk, high- reward moments that can swing games.

Coaches balance:

  • Field position (how far the opponent would have to go to score if they get the ball).
  • Distance to the first down (4th-and-1 is very different from 4th-and-15).
  • Score and time left in the game (late in the game, teams go for it more often).
  • Kicker strength and reliability (can they realistically make the field goal from that distance?).

Modern analytics tools and “4th-down bots” have become popular, showing that teams often should go for it more than they traditionally do.

Quick mini-example

Imagine it’s 4th down and 3 yards to go at midfield (the 50-yard line):

  • If the offense goes for it and gains 4 yards :
    • New 1st down at the opponent’s 46; same team keeps the ball.
  • If they go for it and gain 1 yard (short of the line to gain):
    • Turnover on downs; the other team gets the ball at the 48-yard line.
  • If they punt :
    • The other team might start around their own 15–20-yard line, depending on the punt.
  • If they try a long field goal and miss :
    • The other team gets the ball near where the kick was tried, giving them good field position.

TL;DR: After 4th down, either the offense succeeds and gets a new set of downs, or they give the ball to the other team—either by failing the play, punting, or after a field goal attempt.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.