In American football, “dead ball” is a term coined to describe a ball that is not in play. Usually, this term is used between football plays, but may also be used in cases such as:

  1. A scoring play takes place, the ball is fumbled out of bounds
  2. A player carrying the ball runs out of bounds
  3. A kick travels out of bounds
  4. The player carrying the ball is downed
  5. A forward pass is not caught and travels out of bounds or touches the ground
  6. A free kick or kickoff goes to the kicking team
  7. A kick hits the crossbar or goal post while in flight
  8. A kick travels out of bounds