Is Every NFL Punt in the End Zone a Touchback?

Sep 20

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

An NFL punt is not automatically a touchback when it crosses the receiving goal line in the air. A returner may catch it in the end zone and run out.

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Punter Zoltan Mesko kicks an airborne football during a Michigan game. — Zoltan Mesko punts for Michigan. Photo: cgilmour, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Image source: cgilmour via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

For a punt untouched by the receiving team, touching the ground on or behind that goal line makes it dead for a touchback. Certain kicking team contact there does the same.

Watch the coverage player's body

A touchback results if an untouched punt contacts a kicking team player who is touching the ground on or behind the goal line. The same applies if that player touched the end zone and has not reestablished himself in the field of play.

That is why a gunner tries to save the ball while avoiding end zone contact. The goal line itself belongs to the end zone. A spectacular bat backward does not rescue a ball that was already dead.

The first touching rule can give the receivers a different favorable spot when coverage touches the live punt in the field of play.

A returner touch can change everything

Suppose a returner muffs a punt at the 3 and it rolls into the end zone. A coverage player legally recovers there. That can be a kicking team touchdown because receiving team touching changed the recovery rights.

Without the muff, the punt hitting the ground in the end zone would have produced a touchback. Forced touching must also be checked; not every apparent brush against a return team player counts.

Returning from the end zone

A receiver catches an untouched airborne punt four yards deep and returns to the 17. The offense starts at the 17, not the 20. Merely crossing the goal line in flight never ended the kick.

If the receiver instead downs the ball for a qualifying touchback, the normal punt placement is the 20. Missed field goals and kickoffs have different placement rules.