What is a pick six? Explaining how NFL defensive units can score (2024)

NFL

To say it bluntly, in American football, defense is about working hard to remain competitive during games and preventing the other team from advancing.

Experts often argue that defense is more important than offense in American football. This is because great defense leads to easy offensive opportunities, defensive rebounds, and turnovers. Whether you’re a pressing team that forces turnovers or a pack-line style defense that forces contested outside shots leading to rebounds, playing great defense will lead to more offense.

Defense is all about hard work and allows players to remain competitive during games when nothing else works for their team. Excellent defensive play can stop the other team’s offensive run before it begins.

Fumbles and interceptions are common in American football. A fumble happens when a player from the offensive team drops the football, usually after good defense from the opposing team, causing chaos as both teams try to recover the loose ball. On the other hand, interceptions happen when cornerbacks snag airborne passes meant for someone on the opposing side.

However, the rarest and most celebrated of these turnovers is the pick 6 (also written as “pick six”). It can turn a game instantly and is the stuff of a quarterback’s nightmares.

What is a pick-six?

In football, a Pick 6 is a term used to describe a particular play that occurs when the defense intercepts the ball and runs it back for a touchdown, resulting in 6 points. “Pick” refers to an interception, a defensive play in which a player catches the ball intended for an offensive player.

When a Pick 6 happens, the player who intercepts the ball runs it back into the end zone, scoring a touchdown. The defensive team earns 6 points without relying on their offense to score. This is where the term Pick 6 comes from.

A Pick 6 is considered a devastating play for the opposing team because it can shift the game’s momentum quickly and dramatically and disarrange quarterbacks’ esteem. The defensive team can take control of the game without giving the offensive team a chance to respond. The Pick 6 can be a game-changing moment determining the game’s outcome.