American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an

incomplete pass An incomplete pass is a term in gridiron football which means that a legal forward pass is not successfully caught by an eligible offensive player within the field of play. An incomplete pass can occur if (1) the ball hits the ground in the field ...

that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with a hand or part of the arm, knocking the ball to the ground. It can also be done by aggressively hitting the receiver at the exact moment he first makes contact with the ball, or shortly thereafter, jarring the ball loose. If the defender hits the receiver before the latter first makes contact with the ball, it is

pass interference In American and Canadian gridiron football, pass interference (PI) is a foul that occurs when a player interferes with an eligible receiver's ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. Pass interference may include tripping, pushing, ...

References

American football terminology {{Americanfootball-stub