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A down is a period where a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with the 6 "tackle" rule in rugby league. The team in possession of the football has a limited number of downs (four in American football, three in Canadian football) to advance ten yards or more towards their opponent's goal line. If they fail to advance that far, possession of the ball is turned over to the other team. In most situations if a team reaches the final down, they will punt to their opponent, which forces them to begin their drive from further down the field; if they are in range, they might instead attempt to kick a field goal.