Believe it or not, there was a time in American football when kicking the ball through the uprights was worth more than actually crossing the goal line.
How to Play Field Goal Kicking on RivalPit
RivalPit's browser field goal kicking game boils the play down to precision and nerve. Set your kick angle to aim between the uprights, then use a power meter to control how hard you strike the ball, accounting for the distance of your attempt. Straighter kicks with well-judged power sail cleanly through for three points, while kicks that drift wide or fall short miss the mark entirely. Take on a series of attempts from different distances and see how many you can convert in a row.
No stadium, no holder, and no freezing kicking net required — just line up and kick. Practice your range solo against the clock, or challenge a friend to see who has the better leg in a real-time match.
The History of Field Goal Kicking
American football itself grew out of rugby and association football, taking shape on U.S. college campuses through the 1870s and 1880s. Yale's Walter Camp, often called the "Father of American Football," was the driving force behind many of the rule changes that separated the American game from its rugby roots, and he was also central to establishing the sport's early scoring system.
Here's the twist that surprises most fans today: in Camp's early scoring scale from 1883, a field goal was worth five points, while a touchdown was worth only four (and, in earlier rule sets, a touchdown was worth even less relative to a kicked goal, since it mainly existed to earn a free kick at goal). For years, kicking the ball through the uprights was mathematically the single best way to put points on the board, prized above the more explosive, crowd-pleasing act of physically getting the ball into the end zone. That balance felt wrong to fans and officials alike, since the touchdown was clearly the more exciting play to watch, and rule-makers gradually adjusted the scoring to reward it more. By 1909, officials had reduced the field goal to three points, permanently establishing the touchdown as the bigger prize and settling into the scoring hierarchy that still defines the sport more than a century later.
That history is why the modern field goal, worth a modest three points compared to a touchdown's six, is often treated as the "consolation prize" of a drive — even though for the sport's first few decades, it was actually the smarter play.
Why Play Field Goal Kicking on RivalPit
- Free and no download. Field goal kicking runs instantly in your browser.
- Real-time multiplayer. Challenge a friend with a link, or play a solid CPU opponent.
- Points, never money. Earned by playing, never purchased or wagered.
- One of 100+ free games on RivalPit, with new games added every week.
Field goal kicking is part of our sports games lineup, alongside basketball, penalty kicks, archery, and other quick precision classics. Want to compete with friends? Check out our guide to playing games online with friends with no download.