What happens if a punt is blocked?

"The punt is blocked and goes beyond the line of scrimmage, where it's touched by the receiving team. Since the receiving team touches the ball beyond the line of scrimmage, the kicking team is eligible to recover the ball.

Is a blocked punt live?

Other possible results include the punt being blocked behind the line of scrimmage, and the ball being touched, but not caught or possessed, downfield by the receiving team. In both cases the ball is then "free" and "live" and will belong to whichever team recovers it.

What happens when the punting team recovers a blocked punt?

Item 2: New Series of Downs. If the ball has returned behind the line after being touched by the receiving team beyond the line, and the kicking team catches or recovers the ball, by rule there has been a change of possession, and the kicking team will be awarded a new series of downs.

Can a blocked punt be recovered for a first down?

Essentially, this is like a muffed punt. Once a player on the receiving team touches the ball past the line of scrimmage, the kicking team can recover the ball for a first down.

Can a punter run a blocked punt?

He opted to slap the ball out of bounds for a safety. According to the rules: Any punt that is blocked and does not cross the line of scrimmage can be recovered and advanced by either team.

What is This Game? 49ers Blocked Punt for a Touchdown!

Was the double punt legal?

Mike Pereira initially said this was not legal, and Fox Sports announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman thought this would result in a penalty. But as it turns out, it was perfectly fine for the Seahawks' Michael Dickson to punt the ball twice on one play.

Can a kicker catch his own punt?

Yes, when punting the punter himself as well as any of his teammates have the option to catch the ball. Though when a punt is caught by the punting team they do not remain in possession of the ball.

Did the Cowboys have a blocked punt?

Last week, the Cowboys and rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright fell victim to an odd rule after a blocked punt. During the Cowboys' loss to the Broncos last week, Malik Turner appeared to make a momentum-shifting play by blocking a punt early in the third quarter.

Can you punt the ball again after a block?

Well, it turns out you can. Officials deemed that there was no penalty on the play for punting it twice because as the rulebook states, a second kick behind the line of scrimmage is legal as long as it doesn't cross the line.

Is a blocked punt a turnover on downs?

Blocking a punt is also not considered a turnover in the NFL. It is not clear of the reasoning why a turnover statistic does not include this as a turnover because it does not involve the offense. As turnover numbers are often used when judging an offenses ability to protect the ball.

Can a blocked punt be returned for a touchdown?

It was the second time this season the Colts have recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown, as another linebacker, Zaire Franklin, got his hands on a Jacksonville Jaguars' punt back in Week 10 that was recovered and returned for a touchdown, also by Speed.

Why is a blocked punt not a fumble?

On a punt the offensive team has possession of the ball until it crosses the line of scrimmage. Any ball blocked behind the line of scrimmage is treated as a fumble and can be recovered and advanced by either team.

Can the kicking team catch a blocked punt?

A punt or field goal that is blocked and remains behind the line of scrimmage can be picked up and advanced by either team.

Can you kick the football twice?

The NFL explained why the twice-kicked punt was allowed. “In #LARvsSEA, the punt was blocked and recovered by the kicking team,” NFL Officiating wrote in a Twitter post. “The punter kicks the ball again from behind the line of scrimmage.

How rare is a blocked punt?

A blocked punt is one of the rarest plays in football. Teams do not block many punts. (The Chiefs hold the NFL record for a season, with six, in 1990.) It makes sense: Not only is it hard to block a punt, teams often set up for punt returns instead of going for the block.

Why did Broncos get the ball after blocked punt?

But as officials would explain, the Broncos instead got to keep the ball with a fresh set of downs. According to NFL rules, because the Cowboys had touched the blocked punt after it had traveled past the line of scrimmage, and the Broncos were eligible to recover it.

How common are blocked punts?

Still, the current rate of blocked punts (0.11 per game) is more than double the rate of blocks in the most recent productive season, 2008 (0.05 per game). The N.F.L. is on a pace for a walloping 28 blocked punts — a figure that would surely get plenty of special teams coaches fired.

Can you punt a ball twice NFL?

According to NFL Rule 9, a second punt is legal so long as the ball does not cross the line of scrimmage. Had the ball crossed the line and Dickson punted again, the second kick would have resulted in a 10-yard penalty.

Is there a penalty for punting out of bounds?

The penalty for kicking the ball out of bounds on a kickoff is either a rekick from 5 yards back, the receiving team starting their drive where the ball went out of bounds, or the receiving team starting their drive at the 35-yard line.

Can you punt twice in same play?

NFL rules state that two punts can occur on the same play as long as both occur behind the line of scrimmage. Whether Dickson's second bomb took place after he crossed the line is up for debate.

Can a blocked kick be kicked again?

A: "When a kick, field goal attempt or punt is blocked and the ball stays behind the line of scrimmage, if the offense recovers the ball, it can run, pass or kick." USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a former college football referee who currently serves as an ESPN NCAA rules analyst.

Can punters kick field goals?

Generally punters can kick field goals in a pinch. Since Kickers and Punters are specialists, they don't generally practice the "other" kicking discipline; however, many kickers and punters pulled double duty in high school, so they have done it before.

Can you Rekick punt?

In a case where the ball crosses the line of scrimmage but there is enough backspin on the ball to return it behind the line of scrimmage, the kicking team may recover and advance. However, once the ball has crossed the line of scrimmage, the options to kick a second time or to pass are no longer available.

Can you receive your own punt?

Simply put, a punt is a scrimmage kick. Therefore, any member of the punt team is allowed to catch or recover a punt as long as it is behind the neutral zone, basically the line of scrimmage, and then advance that ball.

Can you catch your own punt and run it?

They were up and wanted to run down the clock; I know that catching your own punt is "illegal touching" and will give the recieving team the ball just where it was caught.