Football Crossword for Adults

This hard crossword about football has 23 entries on a 15 by 15 grid, 13 across and 10 down.

Answers average 6.1 letters and the longest runs eleven, clued as "A trick play involving a handoff, a pitchback, and a deep pass" (16 Across). It crosses five other answers, so getting it early opens up much of the grid.

  • 23 clues
  • 15 x 15 grid
  • Hard
  • Answers 4 to 11 letters

The three longest answers

  1. 16 Across (11)A trick play involving a handoff, a pitchback, and a deep pass
  2. 23 Across (9)The area behind the line where the backs prepare to move
  3. 10 Down (9)To steal a pass mid-air and head the other way

The worksheet

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Across

  1. 1. The first half of the field's nickname, before the iron
  2. 3. A second look at a play, usually frame-by-frame
  3. 6. The deepest runner in the offensive formation
  4. 7. A defensive hit that costs the leader some pocket change
  5. 9. Extra periods of play when sixty minutes just is not enough
  6. 11. An aerial delivery that skips the ground entirely
  7. 16. A trick play involving a handoff, a pitchback, and a deep pass
  8. 17. Giving up possession with a high-flying kick
  9. 18. A simple metal flipper that decides who starts the battle
  10. 20. Yellow upright target or a very straight route
  11. 21. A secretive circular meeting held in plain public view
  12. 22. An annual selection event where hope springs eternal for weak teams
  13. 23. The area behind the line where the backs prepare to move

Down

  1. 2. A long march downfield, no car required
  2. 4. A protective circle of linemen that quickly collapses
  3. 5. The specialist who usually only uses one foot to score
  4. 8. Quick click that gets everything moving on the turf
  5. 10. To steal a pass mid-air and head the other way
  6. 12. A receiver positioned far from the line, or a hair problem
  7. 13. The final stripe of chalk that separates glory from failure
  8. 14. A sudden rush that sends extra hunters after the passer
  9. 15. The imaginary line where the war of inches begins
  10. 19. Fake grass that offers real rug burn

Answer key

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