During various games, the kickers of each team accidentally kick the ball out of bounds. Usually, when the kick crosses the midfield line, and goes deeper into the receiving team's territory, it is usually placed at that team's 40 yard line. What would happen if the ball went out of bounds at the kicking team's 46 yard line, where would the ball be placed? It should not be placed at the receiving team's 40 yard line, giving them a disadvantage, Does anybody know the specifications of the rule, and where the ball is placed according to the place that the ball goes out of bounds?
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
This is covered in Article 6.2.3 of the NFL ruleset:
Penalty: For a kickoff out of bounds: The receiving team may elect to take possession of the ball 25 yards from the spot of the kick or at the out-of-bounds spot.
So in case of a kickoff from the kicking teams 35 yard line going out of bounds at the receiving teams 46 yard line, the receiving team can opt for either their 40 yard line (25 yards from the spot of the kick) or 46 yard line (out-of-bounds spot) to start their drive, most likely opting for the latter.
