Rules Quiz
Tough quiz: 7 calls you may never see in NFL (but how would you rule?)
4th-and-10 from the A2. Player A1 punts with 5 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Kick returner B1 signals (with a valid signal) for a fair catch at the 50-yard line, but he is bumped at that spot by player A2 before the ball arrives. The ball then touches B1 first, and player B2 recovers the ball at the B45-yard line as time expires. What are the options for Team B?
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2. Untimed down or fair-catch kick
Image credit: Erik Daniel Drost on Flickr.
Ball spotted at A35. Assuming that they accept the fair-catch interference penalty, Team B will have the ball on the A35-yard line after the 15-yard penalty is marked off. Because of the penalty, Team B may run one untimed down from the 35. Team B also has the option of kicking a fair-catch kick.
In this case, the holder for Team B will hold the ball for a normal field-goal attempt, except there is no snap of the ball and the kick occurs right from the 35-yard line. Team A lines up 10 yards from the fair-catch-kick line, and they may not rush to block the kick. Functionally, it is the same as a kickoff, except the ball cannot be placed on a tee, and unlike a kickoff, it can score three points.
Team B also has the option to decline the penalty and the half is over.
Because the punt receiver was interfered with, the fair catch is awarded. Had a fair catch been called at the 50-yard line without interference, Team B could have only attempted the fair-catch kick from the 50-yard line (with no time on the clock) or declined the option (the half would be over). Without a penalty, Team B does not have an option to run an untimed down with a snap.[/spoiler]
