What is the name of a backwards pass in football?

A backwards pass in football is called a lateral. In American football, it is also officially described as a backward pass: the ball travels sideways or backward relative to the team’s direction of attack.

A lateral differs from a forward pass, which moves toward the opponent’s goal line and is restricted by rules about where and how it may be thrown. A team may attempt a lateral from almost anywhere on the field, and more than one lateral can occur during the same play. The pass may be thrown overhand, underhand, or made as a pitch.

The distinction matters when the ball hits the ground. A dropped lateral is treated like a fumble and can potentially be recovered and advanced by either team, whereas an incomplete forward pass normally ends the play. Laterals are uncommon in ordinary offensive strategy because they risk losing possession, but they appear in option plays, trick plays, and desperate final-play sequences such as “hook and lateral.”