Conversion ( gridiron football ) The try ( American football , also known as point ( s ) after touchdown , PAT ) or convert ( Canadian football ) is one scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score one extra point by kicking the ball through the uprights in the manner of a field goal , or two points by bringing the ball into the end zone in the manner of a touchdown ; depending on league rules , one point may also be scored by manner of a safety . If the try or conversion is scored by kicking the ball through the uprights , the team gets an additional one point for their touchdown , bringing their total for that score from six points to seven . If two points are needed or desired , a two - point conversion may be attempted by running or passing from scrimmage . A successful touchdown conversion brings the score ' s total to eight . Whether a team goes for one or two points , most rules regarding scrimmage downs , including scoring touchdowns and field goals , apply as if it were a normal fourth down play . Exceptions , including cases where the defense forces a turnover during a conversion attempt , vary between leagues and levels of play . History . The try / convert is among the oldest parts of the game of gridiron football and dates to its rugby roots . In its earliest days , scoring a touchdown was not the primary objective but a means of getting a free kick at the goal ( hence why the name " try , " more commonly associated with rugby today , is still used in American football rule books ) , and thus early scoring rubrics for the game gave more points to the subsequent kick than the actual advancement of the ball into the end zone . The related term " conversion " is still used in both rugby union and rugby league to refer to extra points scored by kicking the ball through the posts after a try has been scored . By the start of the 20th century , touchdowns had become more important and the roles of touchdown and kick were reversed . By this time the point value for the after - touchdown kick had reduced to its current one - point value while the touchdown was now worth five . ( This later increased to six points in American football in 1912 and in Canadian football in 1956 . ) Although a successful kick is only worth one point , missing one can decide the outcome of the game . Perhaps the most famous example to this was the 2003 game between the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars where , after scoring a touchdown as time expired as a result of the multiple - lateral River City Relay , Saints kicker John Carney missed the extra point , giving the Jaguars a 20 - 19 victory and eliminating the Saints from playoff contention . On November 11 , 1979 the New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills 14 - 12 - the difference coming from two missed extra points by place kicker Toni Linhart . Linhart never played another game in the NFL . Another 2003 game , this one between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers , was sent to overtime after what would have a game - winning extra point was blocked ; the Panthers won the game in overtime 12 - 9 . A 2005 game between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is another notable exception , as the Buccaneers won 17 - 16 , the difference being Ryan Longwell missing an extra point after a Packers touchdown . Duration of the play . In the NFL and American high school football ( in most states ) , the play is over once either the ball becomes dead or the defense takes possession . In many other levels of football , including the Canadian Football League and American college football , the play continues after a turn - over to the defense . This allows the defense to return the ball to the opponent ' s end zone for two points and also allows for a one - point safety . Two states , Texas and Massachusetts , play high school football under NCAA rules and thus allow the defense to score on an extra - point attempt . Differences between leagues . In the National Football League , the scrimmage for point after attempt takes place from the two - yard line . In American high school and college football , it is from the three - yard line . In Canadian football it is from the five - yard line . The game clock does not run during an extra - point attempt , except for some rare circumstances at the high - school level ( some state associations allow for the clock to run continuously in the second half if one team is leading the other by a large margin ) and for arena football , which runs the clock continuously except during the final minute of each half . In the NFL , the conversion is required after a touchdown scored during the regulation game ( i . e . , not overtime ) , because point differential is used for some tiebreakers in the standings . Rarely , this can result in such an attempt having to be made at the end of the game when it cannot change the outcome of the game ; one of the best - known examples of this occurred after the winning touchdown by the Philadelphia Eagles in the December 19 , 2010 game known as the Miracle at the New Meadowlands . If the game is in sudden death overtime , the extra - point attempt is omitted if the winning score is a touchdown . In American high school and college football , it ' s likewise omitted following a touchdown on the game ' s final play if six points were enough to win or if the scoring team was already ahead or can not win or tie the game with a successful conversion attempt . There is , however , one notable exception in college football because the defense can also score two points on a return of a conversion try ( and theoretically score a one - point safety ) and the NCAA rules state that the conversion try must be run if any scoring in it could impact the outcome of the game . Therefore , if a team scores to take the lead by one or two points as time expires , they must still attempt the conversion , although most teams will simply opt to take a knee to prevent the risk of the defense scoring . For example , on October 24 , 2009 , Iowa scored as time expired to take a 15 - 13 lead over Michigan State . Making the conversion would have made no difference in Iowa winning the game , but Iowa still had to attempt it , so Ricky Stanzi simply knelt down , as a return by Michigan State would have tied the game and forced overtime . In Canadian football , the scoring team is entitled to a conversion play after scoring with no time on the clock , but may choose to waive it if they feel it ' s not needed . Because head - to - head points scored is used as a tiebreaker in the standings between teams , they often choose to take it if is against a division opponent with whom a tie in the standings is possible . Other leagues . In 1968 , the AFL and NFL eliminated the extra - point kick for interleague preseason games , only allowing one - point scrimmage plays . The World Football League and XFL did the same in their short lives , though the XFL later implemented a variable system that allowed increasing point values for increasing the distance to the end zone on the attempt for its playoffs ; said system was later adopted by the Stars Football League and , in a reduced form , the Lingerie Football League . In arena football , two points can also be scored by means of a drop - kicked field goal . Some youth football leagues turn the scoring upside - down to an extent , scoring one point for a running touchdown and two points for either a passing touchdown or field goal ; six - man football follows a similar convention that rewards one point for a pass or run and two points for a kick .