A shutout in football is a game where one team keeps the other team from scoring any points at all, so the opponent finishes with 0 on the scoreboard.

What is a shutout in football?

In both American football and soccer, a shutout means your opponent is completely scoreless by the end of the match. No touchdowns, no field goals, no safeties in American football; no goals in soccer. It’s seen as a big defensive achievement because it shows total control over the other team’s attacks.

American football version

  • The opponent ends the game with 0 points.
  • That means they never score by any method: touchdown, field goal, extra point, or safety.
  • It has to last the whole game (and overtime, if played); if they score at any point, it’s no longer a shutout.

A quick example: if Team A beats Team B 21–0, Team A’s defense has earned a shutout.

Soccer / “football” version

In soccer (called football in most of the world), the same idea is usually called a “clean sheet.” The team (especially the goalkeeper and defenders) prevents the other side from scoring any goals for the entire match. A 2–0 or 3–0 win is a shutout/clean sheet for the winning side.

Why shutouts matter

  • They highlight defensive strength and discipline, not just flashy offense.
  • They’re less common than regular wins because there are many ways to score in football.
  • Fans and analysts often point to shutouts as proof that a team’s defense is elite or “locked in” during a season.

In forum and social media talk, people might say “They pitched a shutout” or “Defense threw up a clean sheet,” usually with a lot of pride for how dominant their team looked that day.

TL;DR: A shutout in football is when your team doesn’t allow the opponent to score at all, ending the game with them stuck on 0—one of the biggest badges of honor for a defense.

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