| 100% | ONSIDE | 6 | ___ kick (unconventional attempt to maintain possession of the ball in football) |
| 46% | WENTOUTOFBOUNDS | 15 | Forfeited possession of the ball, in hoops |
| 39% | ATTILA | 6 | King of the Huns who attempted to conquer Roman Gaul in 451 |
| 39% | PASSED | 6 | Threw the ball to the receiver, in football |
| 38% | ASIA | 4 | Difficult area to maintain control of in the game Risk |
| 38% | PUMPFAKE | 8 | Feigned attempt to pass the ball in basketball |
| 37% | TOUCHDOWN | 9 | Six-point score in American football made by being in possession of the ball in the opposing team's end zone |
| 36% | SOLIDS | 6 | All but one of the balls in 9-Ball |
| 36% | SUN | 3 | Great ball of fire in the sky, also central to this grid's theme |
| 36% | PUNT | 4 | Get rid of the ball, in a way |
| 36% | OFFENSE | 7 | Team with the ball, in football |
| 35% | PUNTER | 6 | Football player who kicks the ball downfield to the opposing team |
| 35% | TWELFTHMAN | 10 | Home-field advantage in football ... or what the last square of the answer to this clue represents in this puzzle |
| 35% | HEDGEHOGS | 9 | The balls in the Queen of Hearts' croquet game |
| 35% | HITTO | 5 | Bat the ball in the direction of |
| 35% | AWARE | 5 | In possession of the knowledge |
| 35% | COINFLIP | 8 | Super Bowl pregame event that determines possession of the ball (2 wds.) |
| 35% | ASSET | 5 | Possession of the good kind, as opposed to a liability |
| 35% | ENDZONE | 7 | In American football, the area behind the goals that a ball must cross for a touchdown to be awarded |
| 35% | NET | 3 | Part of the goal in football |
| 35% | FOUL | 4 | Violation of the rules in football |
| 35% | BOULE | 5 | Ball in the game of pétanque |
| 34% | BAT | 3 | It hits the ball in the sport of cricket |
| 34% | RED | 3 | Colour of the ball worth one point in snooker |
| 34% | YELLOW | 6 | Colour of the ball worth two points in snooker |
| 34% | MSG | 3 | Additive synthesized in an attempt to replicate the taste of kombu: abbr. |
| 34% | HOLDER | 6 | One kneeling with the ball in a field goal attempt |
| 34% | SPIN | 4 | Attempt to control the narrative, in a way |
| 33% | LEG | 3 | Limb with which you would kick the ball in a game of soccer |
| 33% | PYLON | 5 | Vertical marker on either end of the goal line in football |