In
American football and
Canadian football, a
reception is part of a
play in which a
forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received (caught) by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be
downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as
receiving yards. If such a pass is not caught by the receiver, it is called an incomplete pass or simply an incompletion.