What Blocking Rules Apply During an NFL Punt?

Punt blocking rules change with the phase of the play. Before the kick, the punting team generally follows offensive blocking restrictions and the receiving team defensive restrictions. After the kick goes beyond the line, those roles generally reverse until the kick ends.

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A key restriction spans the entire down: receiving team players may not block below the waist during a down with a scrimmage kick.

Before the ball crosses the line

The punt protectors block for their punter under offensive restrictions. A coverage player has a limited allowance to ward off or move aside an opponent who obstructs his release; that does not give him unrestricted permission to hold.

The receiving team is trying to block the kick. Its contact is judged under the relevant defensive rules and special kicking restrictions.

The early release rule is separate. A player might legally release downfield but still commit an illegal block.

During the kick and return

Once the kick goes beyond the line, receiving blockers generally operate under offensive restrictions. Grabbing a coverage player to restrict his movement can be holding; prohibited contact in his back can be a block in the back.

Coverage players generally follow defensive restrictions, but they also cannot block opponents in the back while the kick is in flight. Ordinary personal foul protections remain in force.

When the returner possesses the ball, the kick ends and a running play begins. Penalty enforcement on punts explains why a hold before the catch can be administered differently from one during the return.

A blocked kick can change the framework

If the kick never goes beyond the line, or returns behind it without receiving team touching beyond the line, the original offensive and defensive blocking framework applies under the rule's exception.

Do not use one freeze frame to judge the whole play. Track the kick's path, the timing of possession and the block's direction and contact point. Those details identify both the foul and its enforcement.

Keep reading

Forced contact with a punt: See how a block affects touching rights.

Alignment over the snapper: Inspect the formation before blocking begins.

Crackback blocks: Compare an open field block’s direction and target.

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Rules reviewed October 10, 2026. Source: 2026 NFL Rulebook, Rule 9 Section 1 Article 4; Rule 12.