How is a single point (rouge) scored, and what changed in 2026?

If the ball is kicked into a team's goal area by an opponent, a rouge (single point) is scored:

1. when the ball becomes dead in possession of that team in its own goal area, or
2. when a player possesses or touches the ball in the goal area and the ball then touches or crosses the dead line or a sideline in goal, regardless of how the ball goes out of bounds in the goal area.

After a rouge, the team scored against puts the ball into play by a scrimmage as first down at any point between the hash marks on its own 40-yard line. If the point came from an unsuccessful field goal attempt, that team may instead choose to scrimmage from the previous line of scrimmage.

2026 change: the rouge rule was changed so that no single point is scored when a ball is kicked directly out of bounds in an opponent's goal area, either in flight or after hitting the ground. Also, when a kicked ball goes through the opponent's goal area without being touched, or hits the opponent's goal post in flight, the ball is next scrimmaged from the opponent's 40-yard line.