---
slug: "pat-options"
title: PAT Options
depth_tier: entry
side: OFFENSE
category: Rules
source_id: "FF-0024"
created: 2026-04-06
updated: 2026-05-17
canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/pat-options
aliases:
  - PAT
  - point after touchdown flag football
  - conversion flag football
  - extra point flag football
---
# PAT Options

## Short Definition

The flag football PAT system: 1 point from the 5-yard line, 2 from the 10, and 3 from the 20 in select leagues—each distance carrying distinct strategic stakes.

## Definition

The flag football point-after-touchdown system offers multiple conversion distances with distinct point values, creating genuine strategic decisions that do not exist in 11v11 football's near-automatic extra point kick. The standard options in NFL FLAG and most organized formats are a 1-point conversion from the 5-yard line and a 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line. Select competitive leagues add a 3-point conversion from the 20-yard line. Each distance carries its own conversion probability and its own strategic weight depending on the game score.

The 1-point conversion from the 5-yard line is a passing-only attempt in formats with a no-run zone at the 5, making it a red zone passing play at its shortest and most compressed form. Conversion rates are high—most organized teams with competent quarterbacks convert at 60–75% or better. The 2-point conversion from the 10-yard line opens the run game (where legal) and gives receivers more route depth, but at a longer distance where defense has more time to close and rushers have more lane to work with. Competitive conversion rates at 10 yards typically run 40–55%.

Strategic PAT selection is driven by score differential and time remaining, not by habit. Most competitive flag teams use a PAT chart—a pre-game reference that specifies which PAT attempt is mathematically correct at each score margin. A team trailing by 14 after a touchdown should attempt the 2-point conversion (to cut the deficit to 7) rather than the 1-point (which leaves a less manageable 8-point gap). A team leading by 5 after a touchdown may protect the lead differently than one leading by 4. The math changes at every score difference, and teams that run the chart rather than defaulting to 1 make systematically better decisions across a season.

A defensive interception on any scrimmage PAT attempt can be returned for 2 points for the defense in most organized formats—a rule that adds tactical risk to the 2-point and 3-point attempts and occasionally influences whether a large lead team chooses to kick or run a safer conversion play.

## Example

"Up by 19 in the fourth, they went for 2 from the 10—securing the 21-point lead that forces the mercy rule."

## Common Confusion

Defaulting to the 1-point PAT is not automatically the conservative choice—at specific score margins, the 1-point PAT leaves a team in a worse mathematical position than attempting the 2-point conversion. Trailing by 8 points after a touchdown, a 1-point PAT still leaves a 2-point deficit; a successful 2-point conversion ties the game. Coaches who go for 1 without checking the score margin are making a strategic decision by default rather than by calculation. The PAT chart exists precisely to remove that default.

## Related

- touchdown
- no-run-zone
- two-point-conversion
- 5v5-format
- nfl-flag
- interception

---
Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/pat-options