red zone

noun

: the area of a football field inside an opponent's 20-yard line

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Besides third down and red zone, the Ducks worked on a couple of two- and four-minute scenarios throughout the week and on Saturday, including the offense needing to gain a first down to secure a lead and driving the field to score without any timeouts. oregonlive, 23 Apr. 2023 Good red zone stop there by the New England defense, as the Vikings had to settle for three after a long drive. Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Nov. 2022 Kupp has 11 of the team’s 32 red zone targets and eight of the 16 catches. Adam Burke, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2022 New England registered the worst red zone TD percentage in the NFL (42.2 percent). Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Feb. 2023 The Lions enter Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers ranked fourth in the league in scoring (27.1 ppg), third in total offense and fourth in red zone percentage, and Goff is playing some of the best football in his career. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. 2023 With Williams calling the plays on defense, UCF ranks as the No. 5 red zone defense in the country this season — by not allowing opposing teams to score 32% of the time inside the 20-yard line. Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Dec. 2022 Kentucky is last among the 14 teams in the SEC in yards and points per outing, while its red zone percentage was better than only Florida (76%). Ryan Black, The Courier-Journal, 29 Nov. 2022 The first possession showed the full range of possibilities as Ole Miss opened with gains of 20 and 16 to march inside the Alabama red zone. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 12 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red zone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of red zone was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near red zone

Cite this Entry

“Red zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20zone. Accessed 29 May. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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