How to Use forward pass in a Sentence

forward pass

noun
  • The Blitzboks had a last-gasp try ruled out by a forward pass.
    — ABC News, 31 May 2026
  • For a team to throw a forward pass, a ball must be exchanged twice behind the line of scrimmage.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2020
  • By the end of the second frame, Loveland even tried a few forward passes.
    — James Weber, Cincinnati.com, 26 May 2020
  • The touchdown was ruled a rush because Walker's toss was not a forward pass.
    — Steve Reed, ajc, 11 Nov. 2022
  • For as long as the forward pass has been part of football, interceptions have been part of the game.
    — Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
  • The first forward pass wasn't thrown until under five minutes in the first quarter.
    — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 16 Oct. 2021
  • The forward pass is utilized more than 40 times per game on a typical night.
    — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 19 Nov. 2021
  • There are no pads and no forward passes — kicking is the only way to advance the ball through the air.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
  • And the Titans are still trying to figure out how to best conquer the forward pass.
    — Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2024
  • No blocking or moving screens are allowed and the offensive team may not throw more than one forward pass per play.
    — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
  • But he was put through by a forward pass from Pete Horne, negating the sequence.
    — Ravi Ubha, CNN, 13 Oct. 2019
  • After review, the ruling is a forward pass and the Vikings will punt from their own 29.
    — oregonlive, 2 Dec. 2019
  • The play, however, didn’t count as Johnson’s heave was the second forward pass of that play.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2022
  • No ordinary rules tweak, these new kickoffs might be the biggest on-field rules change since the advent of the forward pass.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
  • The play was ruled a forward pass and a 6-yard touchdown pass from Hopkins to Watson.
    — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 1 Dec. 2019
  • Among the innovations intended to make the game less vicious was the forward pass.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2023
  • The left-back’s first action of the game was a forward pass to Gordon, followed by an underlap.
    — Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The Thunderhawks have thrown 12 forward passes in three games.
    — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, 9 Sep. 2017
  • For the Patriots, the forward pass appears to be a foreign concept.
    — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2024
  • However, the officials ruled the play to be an incomplete forward pass.
    — Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 16 Oct. 2022
  • The reforms led to the creation of the forward pass and the banning of dangerous formations.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Fernandes’ willingness to play purposeful forward passes and drive ahead with the ball helped bridge that gap.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The lateral was a borderline forward pass, but Dyson ran 75 yards for the touchdown and the win.
    — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Modifies penalty to add a loss of down for a second forward pass behind the line and for a pass thrown after the ball returns behind the line.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2021
  • Not surprisingly, the 49ers also will find ways beyond the forward pass to get the ball to Samuel.
    — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 20 Aug. 2019
  • There are excellent running teams, but down a couple scores a forward pass can come in handy (see Doug Flutie).
    — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, 16 Sep. 2017
  • The fumble occurred on a screen pass, one that Hardin and the entire Milford sideline argued was a forward pass.
    — The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2022
  • Three decades ago, the game was still rooted in the fundamental philosophies that had existed since the invention of the forward pass.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2018
  • The play was not reviewed as a possible forward pass by SEC officials.
    — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 27 Sep. 2020
  • Felix Nmecha’s direct forward pass was a peach and Undav instinctively tamed it with his right and smacked it with his left.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026

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

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