incomplete pass
Ball hits ground
In American football, an incomplete pass is a forward pass that falls to the ground or goes out of bounds without being caught by any player.
The play ends immediately, the clock stops, and the ball returns to the line of scrimmage: The receiver dove but couldn't hold on—incomplete pass.
Contrasts with a completion (caught) or interception (caught by the defense).
- droppedLet fall downward
- overthrowForcible removal from power
- groundingConnecting to earth
- incompletionState of being unfinished
- deflectedCaused to veer off
tipped · fourth down · punt · quarterback · receiver · coverage · wide open · defended · batted · sailing · spiraling · fingertips · endzone · red zone · sideline · out of bounds · turnover · possession
- footballfootball, touchdown, field goal, quarterback, end zone
- football rulesdowns, first down, first downs, touchdowns, field goals
- flag footballflags, two-hand touch, quarterback, touchdown, end zone
- football officiatingreferee, penalty flag, yellow flag, false start, offside
- game stoppagestimeout, dead ball, injury timeout, official timeout, stoppage time
- football playsslant, counter, draw, sweep, handoff
incomplete passcompletion
Act of finishing
reception · catch · touchdown pass · interception · pick six
incomplete, pass, complete, completely, completion, incompletely, incompleteness, passed, passing